Daylight's End
by MrFiretank
Summary: "When your entire life gets taken away, do you stand back up, or do you let yourself fall? Are you helping others or do you just watch from the sidelines? Do you take the initiative or do you wait in silence? I personally don't know, but I know that I'm here now and that there's no redo..." - Jessica Layna
1. Unexpected Arrival

_This story is honored to my girlfriend Katie who gave me the needed motivation to post this. Stay positive and don't let troubles drag you down!_

…

 **CHAPTER 1 – UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL**

* * *

" **NO!** " *CRASH* *Thud*

I couldn't feel my body anymore...my vision was fading in and out...why does everything hurt so much?

"Out of the way everyone, step aside!"

There was red everywhere...some of it was flowing from my forehead...and my mouth filled with the copper-like substance...

"You need to save her, **please**! She doesn't deserve to die!"

I feel a little bit of my nerves in my neck...the broken form of my body very slowly turns to the left side...there were so many people standing there. There was the mother of the child that I pushed to safety...she was tearing up while cradeling the little girl. 'Your child...is safe now...please don't cry...'

"Bring me the defibrilator, fast! Her heart's stopping!"

My breath became narrow...there was so much pain coming from my chest...I was still gazing at the mother and her child. Her child was looking towards my body...and then into my eyes. She seemed so sad... 'I'm glad...that she didn't die...'

"Reanimating her in 3! 2! 1! Shock!"

I could see my chest jerking up from the voltage flowing through it...but it didn't relieve the pain...I was growing more and more disconnected at the second...my vision was going black out soon...I give a last glance towards the pair in the back...the woman broke out in tears, laying on the ground while whaling. The sight of my mangled body...is too much for her to bear.

"DO SOMETHING ALREADY, **DON'T LET HER DIE FOR THIS**!"

Voices of distraught filled my mind...there were other people shouting at the ambulance to bring me to the hospital already. Nobody wanted to see me die like this...my vision was almost gone, so with the last strength in my body I curled my lips upward as both eyes closed in silence.

"...!?"

Everything became silent...their voices so far away...slumber was taking its place. I silently mouth my last words to her with blood flowing out of the mouth before everything stopped.

"Don't...c-cry...any...more."

And then everything turns black...this is it...I'm sorry mom...dad...I love you.

...

* * *

"You know that this wasn't supposed to happen!"

"I couldn't just watch while a friend of mine could have gotten hurt!"

"You put **EVERYONE** into danger!"

"She was also in...but, she..."

"Please...one casualty is too much, considering said person was supposed to be protected by you."

"I...I'm sorry..."

*Sigh* "It's alright, you...didn't intended this. Let's just hope that she'll take this better than we do."

...

"Okay, 'G'."

* * *

...

"…Miss…"

I could hear a voice speaking out to me, it sounded feminine and…Hispanic? Wait, did I land somewhere in Spain!? How am I there, I lived in America, so how-?

"…Miss Layna."

The voice was there again, but slightly louder. I wonder, was she calling out to me? If she did, I couldn't even focus on whatever she meant…I was so dazed. Did I have a hangover from the booze that I secretly kept home? Is that why I was so unfocused? Well, Mom always did warn me of getting addicted. But I always ignored anyone's warnings anyway. Not like they bothered me in a-

"MISS LAYNA!"

Jumping from the loud noise that rang threw the air, I could actually focus again. Some bangs of black hair blocked my left eye but only because I wanted it like that. Everyone always said it gave me a mysterious look. Now, I think this was a dream, because all I could see was white. The ground, the air, no speck of any other color was to be found. Well, almost…

"Finally Miss Layna. *Sigh* I thought you were gone or something. Now that I have your attention…"

In front of me sat a woman in her 40s or so. She had a white business suit on her, brown hair with locks that went down her frame, ending just over her hips. Her eyes were a rather dark version of blue which were covered by a pair of expensive-looking doctor glasses and sported chocolate colored skin. The woman sat on a couch that was light grey and I noticed that I was sitting on a similar one. Between us was a coffee table with a brown clipboard and a vase on it… 'A white tulip. Huh, don't white flowers symbolize death or something?'

"Actually, yes they do Miss. And this flower is here for a good reason. Because you are…well…dead."

Wait. Mysterious lady said what? 'PARDON!?' "Hold on Madam! Are you saying that I am not only dead, but you can also read my thoughts!? What is this place even!?"

She looked at me with a puzzled expression, before frowning slightly. "Yes, you see…The place we're in right now is the space between the world of the living and the world of the dead. To simplify things for you, there had been some…misunderstandings, so to speak. As for your curiosity, I can read your thoughts, but only if you're focusing strong enough on them."

Now it was my turn to frown. "So…I'm actually dead." I was rather talking to myself. I just couldn't believe it… "How did I actually die, and why can't I remember anything about it?"

She was taking the brown clipboard from the table and started turning through the first few pages. In between I could see information about myself, and **HOLY ****!** There was everything about me! Likes, Dislikes, Personal hobbies, Qualifications, The name of my house cat…? What is Mr. Fluffingtons doing there!? 'Yes, I called my cat so! She's the best thing to hug after a depressing day, so know that I haven't named her like that not without a reason.'

She seemed to have found what she was looking for, as she suddenly stopped and stated the facts. "According to the records from your guardian, you died on the 14th of January, 2017 at 14:42 on the street before your own apartment complex. The reason of your death had been a car accident in which you saved the life of a 7 year old girl by throwing her out of the way...but you died due to a crushed lung and blood loss during the act of heroism. Not to forget your multitude of broken bones..."

…"Alright, so I died a rather cliché-like way, eh? Well alright…is…is the girl at least safe?" Now that I remembered again what happened, there were a few thoughts in my mind. One of them being: 'Why did I have to be the hero AGAIN!?' If you're wondering what I meant, my mother once stated that I have always put the well-being of the people who are precious to me in front of my own. Granted, it was a family thing, but my friends even talked to me about it and demanded that I should tone it down with all the helping. The other thought being: 'What would happen now?'

The lady before me has hold that train of thoughts by replying the moment I had come up with it. "You seem to be taking this much better than most of the other arrivals. And…well, as for now, I personally had been given no information on what will happen with you now. But I can assure you that the girl got out without any permanent or minor damage. Just a few scratches from the rough landing, but that's all."

"Oh thank god, she's safe…" I was relieved that at least one of us had made it out alive. Looking over to the lady sitting across me, I could see her snickering at my choice of words. But…wait…

"And before you start making random assumptions, the answer is yes. You're in heaven, well…pre-heaven, but that's not too important right now." Again reading my mind…scary...

Alright, so (pre-) heaven…looked really clean up here. "Ok, but what **is** happening now?"

She seemed to smile to herself, stood up and motioned towards me to follow her. What she had been thinking was beyond me, so I just did the same as her and walked silently behind her into the abyss of white nothingness. After what seemed like a short eternity she spoke again. "When I was informed of your early arrival by the higher-ups, I had been given two tasks to follow on a short notice, after that you would be on your own."

Nodding and waiting for her to continue, she put a finger into the air and continued. "The first task was to inform you of your situation and filling up the blank spaces in your own mind before going on with task two." She put up another finger to make her point clearer. "And as we're speaking here, your guardian and our boss are preparing to meet you in personal. No tricks or schemes involved."

As I turned around; trying to look for the place we were at a few minutes ago; my mind got confused when there was nothing left. But what surprised me even more was the moment when we suddenly stopped and she poked me on my forehead.

"Excuse me, but we arrived Miss Layna."

Turning around I saw... a mystic, expensive looking wooden door, with ornaments of gold on it. The fact that it had appeared out of thin air was enough to make my mind run a few kilometers per second.

"I'm sorry to inform you but this is where we will part ways. It was nice making your acquaintance ...albeit that was not only the first but also the last time that we meet. I have my job and it requires me to be very strict with the schedule, so goodbye Miss..."

And with those last words she turned around and walked into a random direction, leaving me in front of the fancy looking door. I did a last check on myself, looking at what I was actually wearing. I had my grey jacket with hoodie and inner pockets still on me, the white t-shirt hanging loosely because of it being a few sizes too big after my mother got it for me. I still loved it with all my heart…The blue, ripped jeans and the grey sneakers had been dusty from my last actions on Earth. I didn't mind it though. What I minded was the blood…or rather the lack of it on my clothes. How I was able to die without any of it staining at least some of my attire in whatever this around me is was beyond me.

My black wool cap was comfortably on my head, and bangs of raven black hair covered one of my ocean-blue eyes. Touching my pale skin, I could still feel those black rings under my eyes. It would take tremendous amounts of sleep to get rid of those, so I decided to not even try it. Putting my hands in my pockets I found my phone in one of them. Okay…it was old…like, really old.

'I was rather poor, ok? My boss aka. douche only gives me so much money, so I couldn't afford any of these fancy new ones on the market. And before you ask me, no, it isn't a Nokia….but it's just as durable. It also kept quite a lot of music in it and had Bluetooth! Wait, why am I talking to myself like this?'

Speaking of music, my pair of headphones was hanging lazily around my neck. Candy Apple-Red. Wireless. Rather expensive and a one-time buy. I don't want to brag about it…

Alright, I looked rather 'decent' so I hoped her boss was not too strict about any dress codes. Still shabby, but not lower class. Breathed in, breathed out. 'You can do this!'

I extended my right hand to knock on the door, so that they were informed of my arrival. 'Just knock once and-'

"YOU SAID I COULD TRAVEL WITH HER! **WHAT HAPPENED WITH THAT!?** " A loud female voice boomed from the other side, making me flinch rather violently. Could that be her boss she was talking about? 'Oh god, please no…'

"I told you that we're only assisting her Hana, not staying with her. You should start thinking….*Sigh* What am I saying, you never were the kind of person to think before you act." An old-sounding voice spoke with a lot of authority in his tone. Then **that** must be the boss. Wait, didn't that lady say that my guardian or so was also meeting me? So, I guess it's her. That 'Hana' person is my guardian then.

"But C'MON 'G'! You always have a stick up your butt! Give me a chance to join her, I'll make sure that she kicks ass and takes names with no drawback what. So. EVER!" 'G'…wait. Does she mean 'G' as-!?

"Most of your 'promises' had ended with me doing night-shifts and extra paperwork due to the resulting aftermath. Anyway, I don't think we should keep our guest of honor waiting, isn't that right Miss Layna?"

Now that caught me off-guard. I knew that the lady from before had the ability to read my mind. But now their boss had figured out that I was eavesdropping on their conversation just like that!?

'*Sigh* I really am horrible at this.'

Having no point in hiding left, I gripped the handle of the door with my right hand and opened it slowly…

" **AAHHHHHH!** You look even cuter in person, I wish you were even smaller and had a high pitched voice and OH GOD YOU'RE ADORABLE!" …Only to get instantly pulled into a hug from the woman that was shouting earlier. She pulled me close to herself and it became rather hard to breathe, so other random guy who was with her that's called 'G' or so, help me!

"That's enough Hana! You don't want to **also** have her second death on your cap, do you?" Oh thank god for the save…hold on, what was he talking about? I'm confused, help me…again…

The girl had finally let go of me so I could breathe again. After a few calming breaths, I looked to my right to find her standing beside me while scratching her head with an awkward grin and closed eyes looking towards my direction. She wore a white silk dress with a golden rope around her waist-line. Her skin was really smooth and she was barefoot.

'Alright, at least no dress-code to worry about.' Short strawberry-blond hair and that…halo gave her a rather unique appearance which finished the attire.

"Ah, sorry about that Jessie. I get carried away by cute stuff…a lot." Oh, so that's why she hugged me. I'm not that cute…

…Am I? Also, Jessie? What was up with that?

"Trust me Miss Layna, she thinks almost everyone and everything is cute. I speak out of experience. Please don't try to pay much attention to her behavior. She can get carried away at a fast rate."

Watching in front of me I could see a wooden office desk with a lamp, a few pencils and a small while tulip in a vase on top of it. Not to forget that literal MOUNTAIN of documents that was neatly piled up there as well. Behind the desk was a guy that looked… rather familiar. Short, white hair. An elderly, yet rather caring face. The deep, baritone voice that could send chills down your spine. Wait, is that…

"Strike Commander Morrison!?" I realized my mistake after it happened, so I covered my mouth with my right hand and quickly spilled so many apologies that I couldn't keep count with them. Some could have been counted as innuendos, though none of them registered in my mind.

While 'G' was chuckling a bit, the other girl in the room started to snicker, which ended in her laughing her ass off on the floor, crying out of pure amusement that this scene consisted of. "OH, oh man, **BWAHAHAHA!** I…I can't…this is pure gold! **AHAHAHAHA!** "

After what seemed a short eternity, both parties seemed to have calmed down; one more, one less (guess who…) so the only man in the room decided to save me from my own embarrassment. "Actually no, but me and Hana over there love to see our guests' reactions when they spot their favorite wanna-be-parent sitting across them."

Uhm...what? "Okay. Now I am confused. Can you help me out or…?" In all seriousness, my mind was blank at this point. Nothing made sense anymore. The halo on top of Hana's head, me having a chance of dying 'twice' in this...lucid dream or reality or whatever! And let us not forget the 'fictional' person sitting right in front of my eyes IN THE FLESH! What is going on!?

"For starters, 'G' thinks that if he changes his own appearance to somebody that our guests would feel comfortable with, they'd less freak out about what we're telling them. As for your past questions, literally everybody up here besides the typical outsiders can read your teeny, little thoughts! And also, yes, that **is** a real halo."

To prove her point she tried to grab said object above her head...only for the hand that was reaching out to phase through it.

"Plus….'G', do you wanna introduce yourself or are you gonna leave all the work to me?" So this wasn't how he really looked, alright then. Also he was right. I always imagined Commander Morrison as some kind of stepfather or even as my actual dad.

...Sorry dad, no offense towards you.

I know, weird, but he has that little something in him that would make even him seem like a good parent. That is a lot of information to take in but they weren't done yet, so…

"Giving me all this paperwork and still can't do a few simple tasks without complaining…" With a tired sigh he stood up and walked towards my rather small form. Now that I got a good look on him, he looked like Soldier: 76 without his mask and that scar on his face.

Plus, he was wearing an expensive looking suit that was almost completely white, except his tie, which was a mild grey. Even his shoes were colored white and his whole attire had no speck of dirt on it. He even had the voice of Fred Tatasciore, the English voice actor for him in the game!

"I'll take that as a compliment. I did a rather good job on copying his appearance, didn't I?"

I decided not to question it as to **how** he can actually change his looks as my own mind reminded me of the fact that literally everybody in this place could read whatever was going on in my brain. Not a moment later he stopped moving and was towering above my form. As Hana's boss stood just a few feet before me, he was looking down at me with a friendly warm smile. He extended a hand to me and I waited a moment to shake it before he spoke up again.

"Hello once again, Jessica Layna. It's nice to make your acquaintance. I'm 'G'. The Boss of all workers around here and chairman of heaven. But first and fore-mostly, God."

...

"Uhm...Jessie?"

… **WHAT!?**

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Hello everybody on the Internet! If you happen to stumble upon my little work right here, I just wanna point out that the first 2 to 3 chapters will mostly be the prologue of the story. But I wanted to make it a little more creative, so any information about Jessica and the Story will be thrown around the progress of the story here and there._

Jessica: "You know, instead of throwing me right in there you could have given me a chance to introduce myself towards our readers."

 _That was a possibility, but I didn't feel like it was right…so the awkward beginning is due to the style of the story. But don't worry, I'll reveal enough information about you sooner or later. So don't sweat it._

'G: "He does have a point. We don't want to build in **too many** clichés into the story itself. Remember, you said it yourself. Not in the story, but in your old lifetime you always complained about fanfictions having too much of those."

Jessica: "…Fair enough. But could you do me a favor Fire?"

 _Uhhh, sure. Ask away!_

Jessica: "Could you get Hana away from me, she's crushing me!"

Hana: "Can't do, Jessie! I just can't help it, you're just so cute that my mind goes on its own!"

… _*Sigh* sorry Jessica, but you're on your own. Anyway, I got to start writing on the next chapters so the story gets at least_ _ **some**_ _progress. *Awkward silence* But anyhow! If you have an opinion on how you think this story is doing, feel free to send a review! Also for any questions you dear readers have, I and the rest of the OC-cast will be happy to answer them! Have a good day everybody!_

Jessica: "TRAITOR! You can't just leave me here with her!"

'G': "…Am I chopped liver or…*Sigh*…you know what, I'm just gonna stay over here for now. See you in the next chapter Fire?"

 _You bet on it! Also, enjoy your free time with your guardian Jessica!_

Jessica: "Wait, come back! I'm not done with you!"

Hana: "Awwwww! You look SO cute when your face gets red out of anger, come here you!"

Jessica: "NO! WAIT! SAFE ME! PLEASE! NOOOOOO!"

'G': "Why doesn't this surprise me anymore...?"

 _The Sir's out! (Regular updates are not to be expected yet, but I'll focus on the writing a bit more, so you guys don't get too disappointed!)_


	2. Chance of a (new) Lifetime

Jessica: "…*Pouting* Are you just going to stand here and stare at us, or do you actually want to help me?"

 _Hold on, Hana is STILL clinging onto you?_

Hana: *Hugging Jessica* "I already said it, I can't help myself! Also…why are you wearing that cloak Fire? You look like a guy who is part of a dark guild or something. Not that you're actually manly enough to do so…"

… _I'm going to take offense to that statement. Plus, please don't become a second Elfman; one existing is already enough for my taste. Also, I'm wearing that cloak so you guys don't get to see how I look or at least the audience doesn't know it. And yes, the hood is only up to conceal my face._

Hana: "…" *Lets go of Jessica*

Jessica: "Huh? Uhm, Hana? Are…you alright there?"

 _Hana, why did you let go of…wait…you aren't seriously trying to-_

Hana: *Walks towards Fire* "Take off the hood, please?"

 _...Not happening in a billion years._

Hana: "But Fire, you know how I love mysteries…and you know how I love it even more to **SOLVE** THEM!" *Throws herself at Fire*

 _GAH! **LET GO OF ME YOU DEMON!** DON'T YOU KNOW THAT I HATE TO SHOW MYSELF TO OTHERS!? I'LL DIE OF EMBARRASSMENT IF YOU PUT THE HOOD DOWN!_

Hana: "Couldn't care less for you! Now. Take. Off. The. **HOOD!** " *Grabs desperately onto Fire's cloak*

 _DON'T YOU DARE! 'G', MIND TAKING A BIT OF MY WORK AND FINISH THE DISCLAIMER!?_

'G': "Alright, fine. *Sigh* 'At least I'm getting a bit of attention from somebody else than that demonic strawberry blond. How did she even become a guardian while behaving like this...don't think I want to know that.'

Hana: "I HEARD THAT! ALSO, **HOOD OFF!** "

 ** _DISCLAIMER, NOW 'G'!_**

'G': "Damn…alright everybody, Fire over there does not own 'Fairy Tail' or any of the characters involved in it originally. He, however, owns Jessica, myself, Hana and every other of his OC's that have, are or will come into play. Is that good enough of a disclaimer for you Fire?"

 _Perfect, now; ROLL THE NEXT CHAPTER! **LET GO!**  
_

…

 **CHAPTER 2 – CHANCE OF A (NEW) LIFETIME**

* * *

He just dropped the bomb of the century at me. Just like that, no big bravado or fancy get-up to make him seem more serious than he already was. This is too much! Breathe! Slow and calm breaths! My mind couldn't handle this anymore. Like, I was on the verge of just walking out of that door and hoping that this is a very, **VERY** weird dream! Because how big are the odds that I was meeting **GOD** just like that!?

"I can honestly tell you that this is very much real Miss Layna. This situation surely must be confusing, after all the odds of an ex-mortal meeting my presence is in the millions, if not billions. Please trust me on this, I have no reason to lie to you or make up any stories. It would have no benefit for me or any of my co-workers." He was explaining this to me in a slow and gentle voice like I was a fragile object that could be shattered into a thousand pieces if he was about to say something wrong.

"'G's right Jessie! Sure, it'd be pretty hilarious if what he just said was only some big prank, just to see your reaction!"

At that 'G' turned to Hana, giving her what could be the equivalent of a death glare that was drilling through her. So she decided to correct herself and not cause anymore damage to my already confused mind. "But he never lies when he is talking about his position in good ol' heaven! He usually only lies about his sweet tooth and how he tries to convince us that he isn't sneaking a few pastries here and there into this office."

"That was one time Hana. You can't seriously still blame me for the chocolate muffin I brought as late breakfast in here, can you?" Now he was just hanging down his head in exhaustion about the topic. I really feel sorry for that guy…

"I did, still do and will keep doing so!" She gave him a playful smile as she cheered up, ignoring the fact that she had just stomped on his feelings. "Maybe I wouldn't do it if you had shared with me that day." **THAT** is why she brought that up, is she serious!?

"As serious as the fact that 'G' is drowning in 'his' paperwork! And that is saying something!" She exclaimed that a bit too cheerful in my opinion, but I guess that is just how her personality works. Also, I still forgot about the whole 'reading your personal mind and thoughts'-thing. I'll defaintly need to remember that.

Giving out a long sigh, he was standing upright again and turned back to his cheerful look. "Now, we were getting off topic again. It sure is funny with all this banter, but I'd appreciate it if we would discuss some…serious matters at this point. So, please take a seat right over there together with Miss Hana so we can begin for real." He pointed towards a white leather couch that (again) appeared out of thin air. This is going to take a while to adjust to.

Not wanting to distract both elders in this room anymore I took a seat on the left side of the couch, just after Hana jumped over the back of the couch onto my right side. Giving me a reassuring pat on the head with a small smile of hers, she made herself comfortable on the fine piece of furniture.

Beginning with the conversation, 'G' spoke up first. "Since you're finally here, I hope that the 3 of us can sort out any misunderstandings before we continue, does that sound good?"

Giving him a small nod, he started to speak up again, but this time in a more relaxed posture. "As you already know, I'm known around here as God or 'G' for the other workers. And the lady that is beside you-"

Before he even got the chance to finish that sentence, Hana jumped from the couch onto the desk, knocking down a few papers of the neatly stacked document pile that was there. She made a dramatic pose and spoke so loud that I was sure that nobody could ignore her. "-Is known as THE BEAUTIFUL HANA, ANGEL **EXTRAORDINAIRE** and also…" She did a dramatic pause as she then spoke directly towards me.

"...you're personal **GUARDIAN ANGEL!** "

Now I on one hand was baffled by that show of hers. I was stunned to say the least. But 'G' on the other hand…

"Hana, get down from my desk **now** , or you I will let you clean up everything that you knocked over and replace any broken items from the past accidents with your funds." You could see an anime vein popping on 'G's forehead and his eyes were covered by a shadow in front of him. He even had a small, yet noticeable scowl on his face. 'He is serious about this!'

That got her off her high horse because the moment he mentioned the cleaning part, she was sitting down beside me, pouting and mumbling something under her breath similar to, 'What a killjoy…'

I decided to cheer her up by addressing my first question towards her. "S-So, you're my guardian? Also, what do you do as my guardian?"

That seemed to push her into the offensive as she was talking with me vigorously about her job. "That's right Jessie, I am your personal guardian, at your service! And to answer your second question, get this. Every person that's alive has a minimum set amount of time he lives in each world. Yes, I said worlds. We get to that later. But whatever, to ensure that you don't get up here too early, every family has a set guardian over the generations. So in short, I am the entity that not only protects you from biting the dust beforehand, I also do the same with older and newer generations of your family. Is this an explanation that suffices for you?"

So...many...words... **so fast!** My young brain hurts...but I got it. 'I hope.'

Woah…I actually have a private guardian. 'Cue Hana's satisfied smile...' Well, everybody has one, so I guess that it's not too special but still, whoa...

'Whoops, her smile faltered, if just for a second...sorry Hana!' There it was, turning back to the previous version.

"Now that you know who she exactly is, you might ask yourself why you are actually here in heaven, and not alive at this point." So the big question finally appeared. I'm ready for the truth...somewhat.

"Y-Yes, please tell me." I tried to stay polite, but you could hear the anxiety in my voice.

'G' took a big breath before answering my question. "Well…during the last days there had been an issue with a certain counterpart of mine that has his own realm and his own...ideas."

That one is easy to figure out. "Basically the Devil, right?"

"You are correct. Within the last days, he decided to intercept us, by taking one of my fellow workers and a good friend of mine hostage in his own realm. While she had been held captive, Hana over there was one of the first ones to take notice of that. So she decided to take instant counter-measures to get her back."

"Wait, isn't that a good thing if she saved her?" Did he mean that it was bad from her to come to her friend's aid!? That surely can't be what he means.

"Well, as much as I'm happy about the fact that she not only cares so much about her but also got her back here without any big troubles, she did a fatal mistake on her part. You see, your guardian watches you and everybody else constantly and acts instantly when he/she senses danger around you. To our bad luck, however, Hana had been still on her rescuing-mission when the accident happened. So…in other words…" He trailed off.

But Hana finished his sentence. "…I am responsible for your death."

Now she was looking down in shame, her expression turned from happy to somber. Her attitude did a whole 180…

"Hana, look at me." My voice came out with much more authority that I anticipated. That surprised both Hana (causing her to look up at me) and even 'G', who rose an eyebrow at that.

Even I was shocked at the sudden change in intensity...though this wasn't the time for it. I needed to calm her down first...

"Don't you dare blame yourself for what you did. If I had been in your position, I would have also gone for my friend first, no matter what the consequences would have been. So please, don't take it too hard."

I let those words sink in until she gave me an honest, bright smile. "Now I know again why I chose your family when deciding on a family to protect. Thank you."

Even 'G' had a big smile on his face that showed not only his happiness for Hana but also his respect towards me. "Well, since we cleared the past now, do you want to continue?" Responding with a quick nod, he kept going through his plans. "After we found out about the whole incident, Hana had been scolded for running off without telling anybody about her absence." I see why, but alright. "Her punishment had not been severe, luckily. Most of it only consisted of paperwork."

"How can you say that it isn't a big deal 'G'!? Paperwork is the worst thing to do up here since it's so **BORING!** " Yeah, she defiantly wasn't happy about that.

'The things I sacrifice to make sure you don't get angry Hana…' Poor 'G' must be in his own personal hell then. I mean, all this paperwork alone on his table must take ages to do! If not centuries!

"Well, most of it had been solved and cleared out about the case. But there is one thing left. And as a matter of fact, we're meaning you. Since your lifespan had been unfairly cut short, the two of us and the council that works under my hand decided on finding a way to make it up to you." Wait, I was getting something from them? But why? I mean, sure, due to a mistake from Hana's part I lost my life but wouldn't there be others with the same situation as me? So yeah, why?

Hana gave a small cackle before answering me. Whoops, mind-readers. "You're right. There are at least hundred, if not thousands of other cases like you. However, when I and 'G' took a closer look at the records or your life, we noticed some stuff that made us change our verdict quite drastically.

"We found out that during your life on Earth, most of your actions only consisted of helping and assisting others. You had been so selfless, that over 90% of all your actions and interactions with people involved ended in them getting help."

'G' decided to get straight to the point. So he took over the explanation. "What she is trying to say is, that you had been a candidate for the council that...decided if you were given approval or not."

"An approval of what?"

Then, Hana piped up out of nowhere. "For a second chance or a second life of course, duh! Most of those full-time workers decided that you could deserve another chance to live. The council decided on a 50/50 at the end of the votumn. And in the end, 'G' had the final call on wherever you would end up!"

'I told her not to spoil that….''G' told to himself and sighed, before nodding. "She's right, I wasn't too sure at first, but after a bit of thinking and getting over Hana's screw over, I decided that you will be the first person after a decade to be given another chance at life."

That left me shell-shocked. To be told that you could return to the living after experiencing death. Unbelievable. "I…I can go back to live my life? I…I can see my family and friends! Yeah!"

But I stopped my celebration when noticing both elders freezing. Hana looked to me with a sympathetic expression on her face. "Well, about that part…you can't."

Wait, hold on a moment! "But 'G' just said-"

"He told you that you were given another chance at life. He never said that you could return to your world. See, the problem is this. Once you die in one world, every connection with that world is gone, forever. So as much as we would want to bring you back, there is no way for us to return you…" Well, that was a downer. I couldn't go back to my family, my friends. They are gone.

...Forever...

Well, my facial expression must have betrayed me because Hana instantly panicked and tried to cheer me up. "But look on the bright side! Remember the moment when we said worlds, not world? The reason for that is, that there are **multiple** worlds that, unlike your own world can be fictional and still co-exist with others. So we had to choose from a few other worlds which you personally know off! Mainly...or rather only...the anime-related ones! Those being 'One Piece',-"

 **Nope.** "I'd get seasick too fast to survive there. Plus the marines, not happening."

"...'Naruto',-"

Also **nope.** "I don't want to deal with politics and ninjas that could kill you in your sleep."

"'Bleach' and another one of your favorites."

'Bleach' was a **BIG** **nope**. "Just for the existence of **AIZEN** , I'm going to say no to that idea. Plus some of those hollows are terrifying." So far 3 out of 4 ideas had been...horrible.

But wait, what was the last one they had? Didn't they say my favorites? The only one left I could think of was-

...Hold on, they couldn't **possibly** mean- "You aren't seriously talking about 'Fairy Tail', are you!?" Out of all worlds, the big lands of Earth Land were the most fascinating for me! Magic, Guilds and lots and lots of adventures!? Heck yeah!

'G' gave me a somewhat teasing smirk before announcing: "Jessica, how would you like it if you could travel to Earth Land and have your own adventure in the lands of your favorite anime?"

...

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Hello back again to the chapter notes! Well, not really chapter notes because-_

Hana: Can't you just show me how you look!? Please? Please? Pretty please~?

 _*Sigh*…for the 1000_ _th_ _time, **NO!** I am proud of the fact that I kept my true identity a secret since now and I will do everything to maintain that._

Hana: "Not even for a bottle of cola~?"

 _No._

Hana: "A full beverage crate of cola~?

… _No._

Hana: 'Damn you're difficult to negotiate with!' "What about a full truckload of cola~?"

… _Are you serious?_

Hana: "Of course I am~!"

 _...No._

Hana: "AGH! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST **SHOW** ME HOW YOU LOOK IN PERSON!?"

'G': "Finally cut it, Hana. We're done hearing your pleas over and over for…uhm, Jessica, how long are we standing here again?"

Jessica: "Well, with the whole discussion about the hood and the attempt in bribing Fire, about…*Looks at her phone*…1 hour?"

 _Alright, so we've wasted enough time with all this bickering at the moment! Can you give me at least a few minutes with the readers of ours so we don't lose them from waiting!?_

Hana: "Alright, but only a few minutes; you're not safe from me until I know…" *Sulking*

 _*Shudder* Okay then dear readers, that was the second release of 'Daylight's End'! I know that the prologue is taking a long time so far but I guarantee that the next Chapter will be the last one! Also about the whole 'Why are you adding cliffhangers?'-thing, well…I just like to write it that way._

 _Don't want to cut you short but I do that to keep the story interesting. Seriously, I think that the build-up is going ok so far, and until we reach Chapter….I don't know, 5 or so (?) we won't see much of the planned storyline there._

 _But as last time, I hope you enjoyed the story and keep me hooked up with feedback to write the story to your liking. Till next time-_

Hana: "Not so fast! **GET OVER HERE!** " *Throws Kunai attached _with a CHAIN!?*_

 _THE SIR'S OUT! **AHHHHHH!** (As stated, I keep trying to update the story as often as possible but with school in the way, don't expect TOO much from me. I'm going to be vague and say…an update per  week? Yeah, somewhere around that frame of time.)_


	3. Point of no return

… _*Sulking*_

Hana: "Hey, Fire? You ok there? Anything wrong?"

 _Yeah, everything's fine. I'm just a bit on edge because of…I don't know…YOU ATTACKING ME WITH AN F****** KUNAI!?_

Hana: "Aw c'mon! I didn't really hurt you…just put a few holes into your cloak."

 _And I can't repair those thanks to my horrible sewing skills._

Hana: "That's no problem~! Do you want me to sew them for you~? Just give me your cloak for today and tomorrow you can pick it up~!

 _Well, if you do it just like- wait a second. Won't do it._

Hana: "Argh! And I was SO close…whatever, did you find it already out? We finally got a response from our readers! And it's a question for us." *Shows envelope*

Jessica: "Alright, from who is it? Seems a bit short…"

'G': *Gets envelope handed by Hana* "The question is by the user ' **Lightningpanda'**. Hmmm,*Opens up envelope* " **Is this going to be a SYOC? If so, how many can we submit?** "

Jessica: "We're sorry Panda, but the story will only contain the OC's that Fire puts in, hence us. He doesn't want to make you feel bad or so, but he likes to plan stuff out in advance, so he needs time to plan the story onwards. Well, I mean my story, but yeah…"

 _Jessica is right. To clear it out once and for all, this story is_ _not_ _an SYOC-story. It will however stay an OC one. I hope you can understand this and don't take it too hard. Also, a little shred of information for all of you: Jessica_ _will_ _meet the 'Fairy Tail'-guild sometime during the story, but I am not aiming for a Mary Sue._

Jessica: "Well, that is helpful from you, but why are you spoiling parts of the story that you're writing about me in hearing range?"

… _Crap…you know what, please just do the disclaimer and we're done, okay?_

Jessica: "Alright. MrFiretank does not own 'Fairy Tail' or any of its original characters. But he owns us as his OCs and the story 'Daylight's End'.

 _Thank you, Jessica. Now, roll the next chapter!_

…

 **CHAPTER 3 – POINT OF NO RETURN**

* * *

When he asked me this, it took me a few moments to comprehend what he just offered me. And after my mind registered it, it took me less than one to say: "I would love to!"

My answer seemed to clear any last doubt in 'G's head, as he responded to me amused. "Well, then it's settled. By my authority, I will allow you to live a second time in the world of Fairy Tail." Before I could jump from joy, he, however, stopped me from doing so by adding: "But before we actually transport you over there, we have to set a few ground rules to ensure a minimal risk of…other troubles appearing." 'And that is just putting it mildly…' he added to himself.

Hmm, I see not a big problem with that. "Aright, what are those rules?" I hope that it has nothing to do with my own life or so. Getting restricted would make it a bit worse than my expectations.

Hana now turned to me and grinned like a mad man. "Oh, don't worry about restrictions like that. To be exact, the first thing that we decided was that you would get the free hand on your actions for the trip! Causing havoc? Sure! Destroy towns? Why not!? Killing people or be a bad guy? Oh yes~! You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as you're capable of reaching the point where you get the chance to that is." I can…do whatever I want?

"She's right Jessica. For once I think that it is a good idea that you experience this adventure by yourself. You can make any allies or enemies you see fit. Before this I thought that it would be better to send you with a guide down to Earth Land. But during your records and even within this meeting you proved a high level of maturity that supports my position in you being capable of traveling alone." Well, that is amazing to hear. GOD out of all entities has enough trust in me!? Purely amazing.

Without wasting any time he continued his explanation. "You won't have any restrictions once you arrive in Earth Land. But there are some restrictions in the world itself." Wait, I get to do however I please, but the world itself will be limited? Well, that's weird.

"Don't sweat it, Jessie! It seems illogical at first, but we do it so the timelines don't break down. And yes, there actually exist timelines. Multiple ones even! But still, what 'G' meant with the 'changing the world'-stuff was that he will transport you into a specific timeline of the 'Fairy Tail' world. Uhm….hold on, what did you mean again with the world you're going to transport her to?" Wait, hold on please, Error 404: Logic not found!

'I told her not to mess up her mind with that information! And she just blew her brain up with the information overload! I have to fix this, fast!' 'G' panicked inwards while trying to defuse the situation: "What Hana actually meant was that I'll bring you to a version of 'Fairy-Tail' where the story-line gets cut short and ends completely at a certain moment of the story. An omake-version from that point onwards, so to speak." 'Please let her understand it!'

An omake? "Does that mean that the original story will not occur while I'm there?"

'G' sighed in relief. 'She got it, good. That girl got me worried there for a second.' "Basically yes. We allow you to pick the point of the original story from where it will stop entirely. Choose wisely, as this decision cannot be returned or taken back afterwards."

Oh man, this is difficult. I don't want 'Team Natsu' stuck for 7 years in Edolas after the whole Tenrou-incident. I felt horrible for them, but on the other hand, it allowed Lissana to return to the guild if I decided to go further than the Edolas Arc, which is a big plus. But I'd also ruin Bisca's and Alzack's marriage if I don't go further than x785! The GMG would bring Sting and Rogue into play, but dealing with another pair of Dragon Slayers was too much for me. I'm sure that somebody out there will be mad at my decision, but it's my own adventure anyway, so this will be it.

"I decided. If it's ok, I would want to start from the point where the missing 'Fairy Tail'-Members return from Edolas after the 7-year interval."

Hana wasn't completely in agreement with me, so she threw her own opinion at me: "Wait there Jessie, are you sure? Why not just go there before 'Fairy Tail' really starts and cause some mayhem while you're at it?" She looked at me agitated for my answer, but 'G' scolded her faster that I could reply.

"Hana! We told her that she would have her own decisions for this matter. So please don't try to manipulate her as much as you do it with us every day." She did this every day!? How do the other workers even get along with her?

"Personal talent in making friends and buddies everywhere! Even when they aren't on the same page with me!" Oh hey, look. Cheerful Hana is back, stomping on people's hearts left and right…

'If she knew just how true that statement is…''G' added to himself. "Alright. So before the GMG, but after the Tenrou-Arc and the 7 year time skip finishes. Now to your arsenal and your powers." Wait, I'm getting powers and my own weapons?

"Of course, silly~!" "But before, I would like to point something out. We are assisting you by giving you the required power to keep up with most of the Mages in Fairy Tail's world. But, should you die during your trip (regardless of natural death or not) then it will be over **completely**. No re-do's unless somebody saves you in the nick of time. Just be aware of that." So dead meant still dead, even with the provided help I'm about to receive by a god and my personal guardian, plus that little loophole. I'll have to be  really careful not to die!

"Continuing where I left off, let's get to your arsenal itself. For your gear, you'll be given 2 objects that will allow you to succeed in most combat-situations and have been provided by someone very close to me." Raising an eyebrow, he quickly elaborated.

"Hana was responsible for both of them." Hold on, HANA!? Is that good or bad, maybe both…? "Alrighty then! Let me give you a quick rundown on all of your little goodies!" She somehow spawned in a wooden closet again out of nowhere (also in white) and opened the front doors to reveal a number of things.

The first object that was noticeable was a combination of a large iron long sword and a broadsword that had seen better days. It looked fairly sharp, but also a bit heavy. The guard was angled upwards and at the bottom part of the sword was a thin cloth strapped around it, going up just over the middle of blade. It was fairly large, standing at 3ft and 9 inches (or 1 meter and 20 centimeters). So it was almost as big as me! I only was only 5ft tall (or 1 meter and 50 centimeters)! Yes, I am small, but I never complained about that fact…well, until now. Plus, there was no scabbard or so to carry it around. Other than that the sword didn't look really extravagant or fancy. But something was nagging at the back of my head. Somehow I think that this sword looked familiar. But from where?

Maybe it will come to me in a while…The next object was a solid pair of leather boots. They were colored in pure black with silver ornaments. They looked quite comfy and seemed to be layered with some kind of hide on the inside.

"Do you like the boots? I had them made by a personal design. The sword had been copied from a certain memory we found in your records, but I won't elaborate too much on it. For starters, both the sword and the boots have some kind of magic power that is unique in its own right. But they will be locked for now, until you find them out!" I wish she would have told me, but alright…

So I will receive at least appropriate gear. That is good to know, but there is one more item left. At the back of the closet, there was a brown leather shoulder bag, which looked like medium size. But it seemed like there was something inside of the bag…

'G' decided to give me a tad of information at that. "Of course we won't just throw you into Earth Land without any funds as an alternative excluding fighting back. So besides the gear provided by Hana, I got a bit of work done for you to not only provide a storage for your headphones and your phone, but there are also useful resources included. Why don't you take a look for yourself?"

Hana was nice enough to take the shoulder bag and hand it to me. When I grabbed it from her, I found out that this bag actually wasn't too heavy, but not a lightweight either. Examining it closer, it had a black zipper at the top to open and close the bag itself. There was also little compartment on the inside that was just big enough for my electronic devices. Opening it, I swear that my eyes went as wide as dinner plates, because the bottom of the bag was completely filled with Jewels! There were multiple bundles of stacked cash for my journey, but so much was in there!

Hana, of course, being herself wanted to find out what made my jaw drop, so she peeked inside the bag and whistled in awe. "That is quite the big sum you got piled up there, Jessie. Not bad."

But before my shock was over, 'G' butted it and told me: "I didn't have the time to get more than this. I'm sorry if it isn't enough for you…" What, he was apologizing!? He did nothing wrong!

"Are you kidding me!? There is so much money in the bag, I'm not even sure I can spend all of that in a single go!"

'G' snickered when he heard that. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. For your information, there are a million Jewels in that bag."

Now that made both mine AND Hana's jaw drop! "1.000.000 JEWELS!?" We both exclaimed in unison. I looked into the bag to make sure that he wasn't joking. I know what he said before, but this was just too much to believe. And no joke…by looking really close you could see that in the bottom of the bag were 20 bundles with each of them being worth a total of 50.000 Jewels. Holy ****.

"You allow her to carry so much money around like it is nothing, but you can't allow me to go with her!? Are you serious 'G'!?" What started as confusion turned into fuming anger that was directed at the poor man.

Sighing again, he turned towards Hana and spoke with a serious voice. "Do we have to go over this again Hana? I have full trust in Jessica's ability to keep the money safe. Also, she isn't exactly a small child either, so have more faith in her."

Hana tried to protest, but after finding no statement she just walked to the closet and announced in a friendly voice: "Alright, you're right man. Jessie here has already proven to enough people that she is much more mature than her actual age." She grabbed both the sword and the pair of boots out of the closet, causing said piece of furniture to disappear in a cloud of smoke after it had been emptied. "Do you want to put the boots on now or after you arrived in Earth Land?"

I really wanted to get rid of those gray sneakers I had on right now. Compared to those fancy boots provided by Hana, they looked ready for the dumpster! Taking the new boots with a quick thank you, I discarded my old footwear for the new one. After putting them on, they snuggled onto my feet and warmed my toes rather well. Whoever made those shoes, did a really good job.

"Well, would you look at that, seems like I wasn't wrong with the design choice. Now, remember when I said that both of these items contained magic? Well, during your journey, you should be able to find out how to activate them and use them to your advantage."

Looking at the back of the shoes, there was a symbol on both shoes in the same silvery color as the ornaments. (The left one = Zhǎ, or Blink / The right one = Fēngbào, or Storm) So these must be for the magic in the shoes…also why Chinese symbols? Whatever.

"There is also one symbol carved into the side of your sword, but it's concealed by the cloth that's strapped around it. So don't worry too much about it. You might get to see it soon enough." Handing me the sword, I grabbed the hilt and almost instantly regretted it. Well, almost…it was heavy, but not heavy enough to be useless. I could actually swing it with a single hand if I tried, but it would take longer to swing for each strike. Still, I would like to try it, maybe I could create a fast fighting style with it. That could give me an even bigger advantage!

When Hana took notice of my idea she patted me on the shoulder while I was trying to get adjusted to the weight of the blade. She told me while pointing at the sword: "Funny enough though, the sword was created for one-handed combat. But at the same time, it was designed for a two-handed swordsman." Wait, a one-hand sword that is also used by two-handed swordsman?

Giving me a look that basically told me 'Don't ask about it yet', Hana then walked towards the desk where 'C' had been watching our little moment. She stopped beside him and then gave me a big and goofy smile plus a thumbs up. "I'll watch your little trip from above here and root for you! Whatever happens, never forget that you aren't alone down there and kick some ass while you're at it!"

Those words made my heart warm up. It was a reassurance, a reminder that once I go alone to Earth Land, that she still would be watching me. I'm happy to know somebody as awesome as her…but…

"Alright then Hana, since we have taken care of everything by this point, we can send you finally to Earthland. The trip won't be easy, but you will face new friends and allies along your path. Are you ready for-"

"Wait please." Interrupting 'C' was rather rude from me, but I just remembered something important. So turning to Hana who was looking at me with a puzzled expression, I spoke in a voice that was close to a whisper. "You said that you are not only my Guardian, but also the same one for my current family?"

She nodded with the same expression, but then I quickly added: "My mom would be wondering where I'm at by this point. Could you do me a favor…and maybe, if it's possible…." I trailed off because my nervousness got the better of me.

To my luck, Hana got the request and gave me her biggest smile that she was able to put on. "Don't you worry Jessie. I'll make sure that she knows that you're safe and happy. Also, I will take more care in guarding her closely, so she can enjoy her life as much as you'll do."

Being grateful I turned one last time to 'G' while putting on my shoulder bag and grabbing the hilt of the sword to carry it. I stood up on my new shoes and then spoke the last words of my first encounter with the chairman of heaven. "Now I'm ready for my journey. Thank you again, the both of you."

'G' had a sincere smile on his face while raising his right hand. 'I'm sure you will have a great journey waiting for you.' "Once I send you to Earthland, the next time you wake up, you will be already in Earth Land. This won't be the last time you'll hear from either of us, so good luck and bless you for your journey!"

He brought his hand down and soon there was an engulfing light in front of me. Getting one last look towards the two entities that helped me with all their power, I could see both of them smiling towards me and speaking their last words as for today with me.

"We are rooting for you kid. Make us proud! / Show those want-to-be wizards how you really beat somebody up!"

After that, a static noise came up in the background, and soon there was darkness consuming my consciousness. Before I got knocked out completely, I had one thought in my mind left…

'Fiore...or wherever I land inside of Earth Land, here I come.'

…

* * *

In a rather old looking castle, you could see a person in a finely decorated hall. A magenta-colored carpet and red ornaments were placed on the cold wood. The windows on the right side were covered in dust and cobweb, even broken in a few places. A big chandelier was hanging from the center of the room. The candles on the walls and of the chandelier itself were the only light source beside the blood-red moonlight that was shining from the windows into the hall.

The hall was dusty in all places and the odor or blood was everywhere in that room. Life seemed to have left this place a long time ago, as there was no sound resonating from within the hall. That was until the front door opened.

At the big door on the back of the hall, there was a concealed form standing there. His black cloak covered his whole body and the shadow from his hood covered his face entirely, but you could see small strains of white hair peeking out of the hood.

At the other end was a noble looking guy with a black and dark-grey business suit on, sitting in what appears to be a throne made out of tons and tons of animal bones. On the top of that throne there was a symbol on it. What looked like a 5-way star that was finished with a circle touching the edges, was a symbol colored in blood and known to almost all of mankind. The Devil Star. A sign of hell and the entity that was connected with it.

The man seemed rather handsome. Black, slick hair and a face free of any unevenness were looking mildly interested to the covered person. His demon like-red eyes were watching intently at the other figure before he spoke.

"What is it, that you're interrupting me with?" His voice was as sweet as honey, but you could make out the small aggression in his tone.

"Well my lord, it seems that your nemesis has been involved in a few…rather…uncommon events." The other person's voice was old and rough. Male. He seemed in pain.

"Elaborate." And so the old man told his master everything about his rival's events. About the screw-up due to the rescue of his co-worker a while ago, about the resulting mistake from one of his so-called 'guardians' and the most interesting: the teen that was allowed a second chance…

After the man finished with his explanation, he asked the other person: "Is everything to your liking my lord? Should I assist you more in this situation? "

The man on the throne was smirking slightly, if not a bit sadistically. 'This is more interesting than I anticipated. Perfect.' He spoke up again, with a louder voice and a bit more emotion in it. "Please keep me informed on that kid's…journey. You may leave now."

Giving a bow and a fast 'Yes, my lord', the old man walked or rather limped his way to the door and walked through it. When it closed, the other figure grinned to himself and was lost in his mind.

'Oh my 'G', what has happened this time that you allowed a little soul like that kid's one to be special? Hmm…'

He suddenly stood up and stared at the blood moon that gave the room an even creepier atmosphere. 'Seems like I'll have to pay you a visit once again, but this time just the two of us…'

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Alright everybody, we finally are done with the prolog of the story, which took me over 9k words to finalize. Jesus, that made my fingers bleed._

'?': "Don't bother using such insolent words, they are unpleasant for my liking and will not be tolerated by me again."

 _Right, understood. Anyway, we're finally beginning with the actual main story of 'Daylight's End'! YAY! But remember, I'm doing everything to keep up with your expectations and the storyline itself. Also a few things worth mentioning. The mysterious figure at the end-_

Old Man: "I would rather see myself as an *Cough* *Cough* selective person…"

 _First off, do you want a glass of water? And also I didn't mean you though. I'm talking about the other elephant in the room…_

'?': "Oh, such comments make my heart truly flutter…not. Seize them, at once.

 _Ok, got it. Still, if you haven't figured out who he is by now, I pity you for not getting the_ _obvious_ _hints during this chapter. But alright, speaking about information…the magic that Hana was talking about within the items will be revealed in the same way as everything else. That being when the story-line reaches the point where it gets revealed._

Hana: "That's good to know. I don't do spoilers! Also here gramps, I got you something to clear your throat." *Hands glass of water to the old man*

Old Man: "Ah, thank you very much, my dear. Not many people show this old man kindness anymore…"

'?': "And there is a reason for that…"

 _Zip it. So, I'll be on my way now. I still need to find a good tailoring, which can repair my cloak maybe…_

Hana: "I'm not giving up yet, just so that you know it."

… _Fair enough. Anyways,_

 _The Sir's out!_


	4. Going down the Rabbit Hole

Old Man: "Has Fire returned yet?"

Hana: "Nope, not yet. Seems like he hasn't found a tailoring yet. But I wonder why he-"

 _*Ring*…*Ring*…*Ring*_

Hana: "Oh wait! *Picks up phone* Hard working and non-slacking angel Hana on the phone, who am I speaking to?" 'Please let it be good old 'G', if he heard that he might not think I'm doing a break~!*

' _Really Hana, you're telling_ _me_ _out of all people that you are actually working at this moment?'_

Old Man: *Chuckle* "It was at least an attempt worth Miss…"

Hana: "Thanks for the encouragement, but now that sugar coating was useless!"

' _Nah, I think it was worth a shot. But that's not the point. You know that I'm still looking for somebody that can fix my cloak. And before you ask, there aren't many good ones left who can do it properly.'_

'?':"If you got the nerve to call us, then you could cut to the important part and stop blabbering around."

'… _Always on edge, huh? Fine, the three of you need to do the fan-answering and the disclaimer for today. *Cutting off Hana* and no Hana, there isn't anyone else left. Jessica is still about to wake up and your Boss is drowning in_ _your_ _paperwork. And trust me, he's not too happy about that part.'_

'?': "We will do it, but only so we don't have to hear your annoying voice for now again. Talk to you next time. Ta-ta..." *Takes phone*

' _Annoying!? Hold on Mister-'*Beep*_

'?': "Now that this is taken care off, let's do our work, shall we?"

Hana: "I'm baffled." *Grinning* "I think we're going to get along pretty well if you ask me!"

Old Man: *sweat drops* 'Who even had the idea to put those 2 together in a single room…?' "Alright, sir. Today it seems like there is again only one. But this time it's a reply to our story." *Takes and opens envelope* "The review is from ' **Lightningpanda'-** "

Hana: "OH HEY PANDA! NICE TO HEAR THAT YOU'RE STILL HERE WITH US!"

Old Man: "*Cough* According to the review we got, you seem to enjoy the story quite a lot. That is nice to hear. And also there have been some questions about myself. Well, *Chuckle* as an elder I don't want to withhold any wishes to the newer generations, so I can surely tell you a b-"

'?': "Give them a single detail about our identities and you will suffer **greatly**. *Glaring*"

Old Man: "Y-yes, my l-lord…*Gulp*…I apologize, but as it seems you'll have to wait for the story to unfold itself. It's a shame, but it's inevitable…"

Hana: "He's right! Now, onto the disclaimer! But before we talk about it I would like to take a moment for-"

'?': "MrFiretank only owns his OC's and 'Daylight's End'. Anything else goes to their rightful owners. Now onto the story."

Hana: "SERIOUSLY!? WHAT WAS THAT FOR!? I THOUGHT WE WERE ON GOOD TERMS WITH EACH OTHER!"

'?': "*Smirking* But we are my dear. That was just for enjoyment, so please calm down…"

Hana: "ARGH! WHY- YOU- ugh! *pouting* you're going to pay for that."

'?': "*Grinning sadistically* I'm looking forward to it~."

Old Man: "*Sigh* As my master was saying. Please continue with the next chapter. Until next time."

…

 **CHAPTER 4 – GOING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE**

* * *

There was only darkness. My body felt relaxed in this state, so I decided to rest for a bit more. After the events I had experienced my mind was so tired, that I just wanted to stay like this for a while longer. But during this my mind had worries left. What if all of these promises were a lucid dream? Would I forget about it ever happening? Was I just in a coma and would I wake up in hospital? There was so much disbelief there, that it would take ages to answer them all. But these 'ages' turned out to be only seconds, as my body finally woke up.

My eyes were still closed, but I could make out the sounds of people in the background. There was no medical smell in the air, so I am at least not in a hospital. Does that mean that I'm maybe home? I had lived close to a crowded street, so it was possible at this point. But that idea died out as I opened my eyes to reveal a wooden ceiling instead of my light blue one. There was also no overhead, but the only source of light were the bright rays of sun light that illuminated the small room I was in.

Putting myself upright, I noticed that my body had rested on a bed that was positioned at the far end right corner. Within the room there was a side table with a pot plant on it, a closet at the other side of the room and a dresser to my left. There was also a purple carpet on the floor. A simple one with a weird logo in a lighter shade of magenta on top of it. The symbol consisted of a scale as basis, and within the bowls was a simplified fish and a few leafs in each. Under the logo was a word sewn-in.

Reading it out loud it said: 'Loeyur'. Getting out of bed I checked myself and saw that I still had my normal clothes on, minus the boots from Hana (which were neatly put to the left side of my bed). Almost all of my disbeliefs were gone, but there was a slight bit left. So to ultimately check my situation, I had walked towards one of the only two windows to my right (shoulder-height) and looked out. That's when my mind confirmed it.

Instead of the filled business passage that was used by commuters every day, there was a lively road going through a medium to small sized town. The buildings around me and everything else were build out of wood mostly, some of them had been out of polished stone bricks, but those only being the important buildings like the town hall. In the distance to the right was a small market, where vendors sold fresh goods to the citizens and travelers alike. Also to the right was a small patrol of Spearman roaming around the town and guarding us all here.

'This is actually happening. I'm in Fairy Tail.' I allowed myself to put on a bright smile that showed my emotions to the outside. "I'm actually in Fairy Tail!" Letting my feelings run wild, I jumped out of joy and saw 2 male workers outside who we're repairing some random roof. They noticed me jumping in my little room, but instead of thinking weird about me, they put on an honest grin on their face gestures and waved at me, as giving me a silent 'Welcome to our town!' without any words. Copying their actions and greeting them as well, they turn back to work.

'This is amazing. But now, it would be clever to find out where I actually am.' This was a bit difficult, since I had no clue where 'G' actually dropped me of, but maybe if I get a bit of information my journey gets a real start.' Sitting on the side of my newly occupied bed and putting on my new shoes, I noticed that the door of the closet was open by a little gap. So after getting my footwear on, I walked over to it and pulled it open to reveal my gear that has been given to me before the start of this trip. Grabbing my shoulder bag first, I opened the compartment inside to put my electronical gear in. Granted, they were sturdy enough to survive a fall from a high building and still function afterwards…but against magic? Don't want to risk that. The money was also still there, the whole 1 Million Jewels neatly stacked and piled up, ready to be spent on whatever I desired. My sword was also there, the hilt resting against the well-worked wood and waiting to be picked up. I put on my bag and took the sword with my right hand, putting it behind my back and stabilizing it on my right shoulder. I couldn't get cut luckily, since the cloth was in the way. Then walking to the door, I noticed it was still locked, but the key was inside the keyhole with a small wooden chip as a key tag. On the wood there was the number '7' burned into it.

Turning the key, I walked out of my room and stumbled into a corridor. There were doors all across the short hallway, each of them similar as the one I walked through. There wasn't much space anyway, maybe nine doors with mine included with mine being almost at the end. At the other side, there was a small set of stairs, and there you could hear soft noise coming from downstairs…

'Might as well check it out when I'm at it.', so I moved to the stairs that led downstairs, to find a neatly decorated reception there. A few paintings had been hanging from the walls, most of them showing landscapes in perfect detail. Behind the counter that was instantly to the right of the stairs, a short old woman was polishing the fine wood of her working place infront of her, but stopped when she heard my footsteps and turned towards me with a kind smile and closed eyes. 'They must look like this regularly….some kind of anime thing?'

"Oh, hello my dear. How was your rest?" She seems pretty nice, maybe I can ask her where I am exactly…

"Ah, I had a good sleep, thanks for asking. But out of interest, where am I again?" It wasn't the 'I have amnesia'-excuse, but it worked just as well.

Putting on a sad frown, she reminded me of the details. "Oh, my poor dear…if you're wondering where you had slept last night then I can tell you that this is my little inn. You came here last night searching for a place to rest while looking completely tired and stressed. After I told you the price for a room you paid me way too much and said that you wanted to stay for three days here. Right now you're on your second one."

For three days, hmm? Seems like that 'G' must have taken care of everything. I must say, he really did a good job with all.

"Ah, good that you reminded me. I was so worn out yesterday, that I wasn't thinking clearly, so the details from yesterday aren't really there." I played along for now, seeing how things would turn out. Alright, so I am stationed in an inn for 2 more days until I'm on my own path. But there is one more question left…" I have one more question left. Sorry for asking again, but what town am I in?"

Chuckling softly, her frown turned into a miniature smile as she answered. "Oh, that's no trouble at all my dear. Right now you're in our little village 'Loeyur'. We are famous for our well organized market with a wide variety of goods and are proud of the fact that most of our trading goods are made from us personally." That sounded a bit like a commercial…no, it was a commercial. Also, the dear is a bit weird for me, but I have no trouble with her calling me that. Also trading, right? So…

Laughing silently at my own realization, I asked: "Could I take a guess? The logo of the town was sewn into the carpets?"

Now she was laughing a bit and with a nod, she confirmed my guess. "Our mayor had the idea for this. He said that the symbol would be a sign for our liability and huge efforts."

Having no questions left, I thanked her again and started to walk towards the exit of her inn, as she spoke up one last time. "Before you go my dear, if you want to hear more about this village, go visit the tavern at the left end of Loeyur. Most of the residents spent their time chatting with each other there and drink with others out of enjoyment. It might be worth a try going there." As she gave me the hint, she turned once more to her actual work and polished the wooden surface of the reception.

Giving her a final glance, I walked out of the inn and started to explore the village for myself. And if she was right with her hint, then I will start off at the tavern. 'This is so exciting! I can't wait to see everything!'

* * *

Seeing the young girl walking out of her inn, the old lady frowned inwards and slightly lost some concentration for her work. 'This girl certainly has a good heart…she just wants to have an adventure of her own, but with the situation everyone is in at this point, I hope that she won't get dragged into it. 'Full Blood' has already done enough harm to us at this point…'

Looking straight ahead at her own door again where you just left, she sighed. 'An honest soul like her wouldn't deserve such a fate…please let her travels be safe.'

* * *

The road was filled with such pure life and freeness, that walking out here lifted my spirits even more! The people that walked also along (resident or not) enjoyed the fresh air and warm sun on their heads. After a few minutes of walking a carriage with 2 horses and a man transporting various resources went by, while covering his eyes from the sun with his straw hat and sporting farmer clothes. He looked towards me and waved at me as if knowing that I wasn't from here. 'Well, if my clothes weren't a dead giveaway then I wasn't sure what was.'

"Hello there partner! Are you enjoying this small dump or not?" He had a Southern accent while he was speaking along, his eyes tracing my sword and turning slightly narrow as his voice got semi-serious. "I'd be careful handling that weapon there, kid. Wouldn't want you to be responsible for any damages out here." He was only teasing me (I hope...) but still, it felt nice having contact with others.

"Don't worry sir, I'm very careful with it. By the way, do you know how far this place is away from the tavern?"

He had a confused look on his face before turning to a smirk. "A kid like you is visiting such a dusty place as the local tavern, eh? Tell you what, jump on! I'm on my way there anyways." Offering me a hand he pulled me up into the carriage and started to travel again. The village was so peaceful, it made me wonder if a place like this existed in my old life. 'My old life is gone anyways…'

"Are you okay kid? You look like you've attended a funeral right now." Snapping me out of my thoughts I saw that we came to a stop while the man looked towards me worried. I felt tears building up in my eyes so I quickly rubbed them away and gave the man a big smile. "No, everything's alright!"

Sighing softly, he answered. "All right kid. But if something is bugging you, tell somebody in the village about it. Most of us would be glad to assist others. Well anyways, we're at our stop so hop out kid."

We got out of the carriage and saw an old but decently clean wooden building in front of us. There was a sign that read 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern'. The man took the charge as he walked infront of me with a barrel on his left shoulder. He opened the door and motioned for me to walk in first. Seeing as I was pretty much alone here besides him I walked in to see an inviting place. Workers and Civilians alike were sitting in various places while talking to each other, even smilingsmilingsmiling or laughing. Some of them actually turned towards us and greeted me and the man.

"Welcome back, Trecht!"

"Nice to see you're alive Trecht!"

"C'mon Trecht, sit down with us and have a beer! That kid can keep us company as well if you want!"

"Who's the kid with you? They look like they need some alcohol right now!"

The man beside me, Trecht, I remarked was walking to the bar with me behind him in tow. There was a bartender polishing a jug clean who greeted both of us while we sat down on some free bar stools. My own dominant hand got to relax as I was letting the sword rest against my right leg as it was balancing on the ground with ease. Trecht put down the barrel onto the bar and greeted the bartender.

"Hello, buddy! Here's the freshly produced beer you ordered from me. Do you have my payment as discussed or should I put it on the tab again like the last two months?" 'Wait, what!?' For being a nice man, Trecht sure was stingy with his money!

"Don't worry this time. I got the money right he-" Just as was about to answer, the door slammed open and everybody in the tavern, Trecht included, seemed to stiffen at that. The open door revealed three figures standing there, all of them having a cloak on their bodies.

 _(For more Intensity, play from the 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST - Hesitation)_

The front man had messy brown hair and a scar running down his left eye. His two companions had a hood on so their faces got covered. With a confident smirk he walked to the bar where I, Trecht and the bartender were stationed at.

Speaking in a loud voice, he grinned while eyeing the pouch that was probably filled with Jewels. "Well, well, well. Seems like you actually didn't forget the insurance money for this month~." Hearing that, Trecht and a few others scowled at those words.

Turning to the bartender the brewer spoke in a calm yet deadly tone. "Buddy, don't tell me you fed them up with your Jewels. I thought we told you to stop giving money to these greedy pigs."

The bartender's expression turned somber as he looked away with downcast eyes. "Forgive me, but there was nothing I could do. They threatened me and my family and even damaged my own bar. If I had just stayed idle, my life would be in shambles at this point."

Trecht was angry at this revelation but didn't protest as he understood this man's point. I, however was trying to figure out the situation. Even for somebody like me it was clear that those guys didn't mean any good business. And I also figured that they threatened the poor man and...his own family some time ago. They started to get me pissed off…

"Well money is money, if you can't earn any income you've got to make others work harder in order to get paid again!" The man's own opinion disgusted everybody in this room, including me. I was trying to stay idle...still, my body was already shaking from the anger that was building up.

"Also you there, the bimbo with the straw hat!" Pointing at Trecht he now looked towards the leader of the three man group. "Could you repeat again what you just said, my hearing isn't so well right now." His voice radiated with deep anger and even his companions were starting to get anxious from his previous comment like if the tension was close to shattering entirely.

Chuckling bitterly to himself Trecht stood up and spoke in a loud enough voice that everybody could understand him as clear as this day. "Oh, sorry there. Let me repeat that for you. The only thing you and your pals over there are, is being a buch of greedy p-" I wish that what happened next didn't. The guy to the left gave Trecht a heavy blow right in his stomach when he wasn't paying attention. He doubled over and fell to his knees as the 3 cloaked individuals grinned in satisfaction at the pain of their opposing enemy. Everybody wanted to take immediate action and go charge at these guys for hurting one of their fellow friends. But I was the first one to break the silence as I stood up, just as this was the last straw.

"ENOUGH!" My voice rang threw the entire tavern with such rage and power, that all villagers froze on the spot, leaving them standing on their seats.

" **Leave this bar now and never come back again**." My voice went low again but was laced with pure venom towards the enemy group. I just witnessed somebody who was as close to me as a friend getting hurt for the sake of his home. And I always protected my friends, no matter the cost. Even if I met them less than an hour ago.

Laughing loudly the man with the brown mop went one step towards me as he grinned with over-confidence written an over his features. "HA! And what does a pipsqueak like you think she could do against members of the Dark Guild 'Full Blood'? We'll tear you to shreds if you don't turn back now!" His companions looked ready to hurt anybody in this room without any hesitation while Trecht dragged himself to a few villagers at a corner of the bar where they helped him sit upright on the floor again.

The man in the front looked at me with a dangerous gleam in his eyes but those went a fraction bigger as he spotted my shoulder bag that was filled to the brim with Jewels. Now staring greedily he spoke to me. "Hey there Pipsqueak. I see that you're having a small fund on you right now~." 'If you consider one million Jewels a small fund, then that would be the understatement of the year.' "Tell you what, you give me whatever is in that bag of yours and I'll let that bartender of and his precious bar off the hook! What do you think? A generous deal, don't you agree~?"

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST - Interception')_

Before I could speak again, Trecht spoke in an pained voice while glaring at the front man. "Don't you even think- *Cough* ...of giving this greedy pig more kid. They are as bad as they come and won't hold their word."

This only fueled my anger even more as I grabbed my sword that was resting against my now free bar stool and held it in front of me. "I won't give you a single Jewel in my entire life! **Now, leave**!" The 'second life'-part was left unspoken of course...

The leader or the small group scowled at my resolve when they started to threaten me back. He took out a falchion and his two partners drew regular swords. "You damn pipsqueak, your damn loss. I'll make sure you'll bleed out before you even know what happend!"

The villagers wanted to back me up from the sidelines but stopped as I spoke up again. "Don't. Those idiots are mine."

And just like that right goon charged at me, sword ready for a vertical swing. My reaction time was admirable as I not only blocked the swing but also made him stagger backward. His response was immediate when he began charging at me, swinging a vertical blow at me.

He underrestimated my speed however and I managed to dodge the swing with ease. 'All those running-exercises in P.E. and fighting games in the arcade finally paid off!' While he was trying to get into another fighting stance I used my left knee and aimed at the joint holding his sword. My power must have been enough, seeing as he yelped in pain while letting his sword drop. Before he could recover I saw a clear opening. So seeing as my mind gave me one logical option that didn't include murder I used the pummel of my sword to get a clear hit on his forehead to knock the guy out cold. To be honest, I was really angry at this point. But I still didn't want to seriously hurt anyone who didn't give me a reason to! Sure, this dude and his Dark Guild threatened the tavern and his owner but he didn't actively insult me or hurt Trecht. No, he was the lesser evil of those three jerks.

'Scarface' as I now dubbed him wasn't too happy about the outcome of our small exchange. He looked like he was ready to jump at me and finish me off for good...however, the left goon started to quiver with his drawn out sword. Although part of his face was covered by the cloak's hood, his visible features gave his doubts away.

"Alright pipsqueak...now you're done for!" He started to charge at me, Falchion raised and ready to slice me up. His speed was so fast for my regular reflexes, that by the time I registered his movement, he already went for my throat. Seeing as my life was now in immediate danger I got into a defensive stance and started evading his barrage of slices, punches, and the occasional overhead-swing.

I blocked, dodged and ducked my way through this onslaught and occasionally tried to swing with my right handed-sword at him yet he parried every time. My skills with a sword were surprisingly decent, considering that I only ever saw people fighting with them on TV or in games. After what seemed like a whole battle scene in itself I got a lucky blow on his stomach with a cheeky swing outside of his vision, inflicting a rather nasty cut just above his belly. This came just right because I already had a few bruises from punches and cuts from last second-dodges on me. He was shell-shocked at his mistake and staggered, giving me the opportunity to hit him again with a well-placed hit on his arm with the edge of my sword. I actually pulled it off and managed to create a decent cut on left forearm! 'That's two hits now! I gotta keep it up!' The other goon began to back off as he saw the display of my 'fighting-skills'. But my opponent at the front was…to say the least…

"You're so going to die for this! I'll tear you up myself!"…pissed. Scarface attacked me the second after he shouted at me and went for a fatal blow, but I blocked it by holding my sword vertical and holding it on the bandaged part of the blade with my other hand. Smirking with murder intented he swung again and again, causing me to fall down to my right knee by the sheer force of his swings.

He now grinned sadistically at me, and started to charge a full-on swing that would decapitate me. "YOU'RE MINE!" Before he hit me, my thoughts ran up through my mind. I didn't want to die just now. I didn't want a douche like him to get away with all this. I wanted to protect Trecht and all the other people who were nice to me. I wanted to win this! I needed to **MOVE**!

Feeling a burning energy in my stomach, I felt it going down my left foot before my body tensed up. I closed my eyes, convinced that the final blow would come. But after nothing came, I opened them slowly, only to look at the shocked faces of both the villagers as well as the remaining bandits. There were a few murmurs in the background of the tavern.

 _(Stop playing_ _'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST - Interception' if you've played it)  
_

"The girl's a mage!?"

"How did she just avoid the swing!?"

"Could she actually beat them!?"

And it was true. In fact, I was frozen in the same position as before, but now I was 20 feet (or 6 meters) away from 'Scarface', who also looked at me with a dumbfounded impression! 'Hold on, I actually used magic?! But how!? Hana and 'G' gave me no magical powers, so how-'

Just then a memory came up in my mind. One that just turned out to be my previous wonder...

 _(For more Intensity, play '_ _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST - Diamond is Unbreakable -Main Theme-')  
_

* * *

" _Well would you look at that, seems like I wasn't wrong with the design choice. Now, remember when I said that both of these items contained magic? Well, during your journey, you should be able to find out how to activate them and use them to your advantage."_

 _Looking at the back of the shoes, there was a symbol on both shoes in the same silvery color as the ornaments. (The left one = Zhǎ, or Blink / The right one = Fēngbào, or Storm) So these must be for the magic in the shoes…also why Chinese symbols? Whatever._

* * *

My eyes went wide for a moment, before I smirked. So I figured out how to use my items' magic powers partially. The left shoe was standing for 'Blink', and I figured now out why. If I wanted to move somewhere extremely fast (or maybe it is teleportation?) I could use the magic in my left shoe to get to said place. 'That's so AWESOME!' And that must mean that this burning energy in my stomach is my magic energy! I couldn't control it clearly yet, but it was there.

My opponent lost his surprised thoughts and growled at me even louder. "So you're a mage, huh? Doesn't matter! I'll still make sure that you're dead meat!" He charged at me again but this time I was prepared. So I sidestepped his horizontal slash and took the sword in my right with both hands while aiming with a swing at his shoulder. The guy saw it coming as he prepared to block but I on the other hand was smirking on the inside.

A few things happened at that moment. I thought to myself with the same resolve that I wanted to stand at the other side of the guy.

Then the burning sensation came back again from my stomach down to my left leg even faster this time. Only just by a bit. Just like last time...and suddenly I was where I wanted to be.

And lastly, I faked the swing to use the pommel of my sword again. Plus with my stance and the power of the swing, I aimed right at the guys back of the head.

"What the-!?" Before my opponent could comprehend what just happened, 'Scarface' got knocked out and was dropped on the ground before me. The last guy seeing this tried to bail and ran towards the door. But before to could take a single step further, he got clotheslined by none other than Trecht, who was fit enough to properly walk again. "Now we're even."

 _(Stop playing_ _'_ _JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST - Diamond is Unbreakable -Main Theme-_ _if you've played it)_

The three Individuals were beaten, and I was the winner of that fight. The tavern the erupted in cheers and applauses as everyone was happy for my victory. I grinned at all of them, but suddenly my legs started to give out under me. 'Must be Magic Exhaustion, I used way too much there probably…' Before I could fall, however, two strong hands held me upright, and as I looked it was Trecht who helped me there.

"We can't thank you enough at this point. If I hadn't been partially knocked out of the fight, I would have beaten them myself, but you sure gave us quite as much of a show as possible. Come on kid, let's get you to a place where you can sit down first. And for everybody else as well, free beer! The pay goes from me!"

* * *

After that the tavern turned back into a cheery place and everybody was laughing and chatting. Most of them praised me for my actions and my abilities, which made me blush multiple times. After a while a few of the town's guards came into the tavern and asked for the members of 'Full Blood'. They were handed to them and they brought them straight to the local jail. For this day, I couldn't be much happier. I had found out a bit about my magic powers, got a lot of new friends and partners and even proved my strength towards those jerks.

As I was sipping a jug of soda the bartender had gotten for me, I took the chance to ask Trecht about 'Full Blood' and who they were exactly.

He then ruffled my hair and spoke to me. "Well, you surely are brave for wanting to know them, eh kid? Alright then, let me tell you on how this all started here…"

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Hello everybody again to this brand new chapter! I hope that the change of backstory-build up to action and the true storyline is to your liking. As I promised you, 'Point of no Return' was the last of the prologue-chapters, so were diving right into the 'Full Blood'-arc!_

Hana: "Damn, I'm so proud of you Jessie! You wiped the floor with those guys!"

Jessica: "Eheh, it was nothing, really. I just got lucky that my powers started to show themselves."

Trecht: "And speaking of that kid, you might want to train with them. They could get your butt out of some pretty gruesome situations. But I still have a question left…"

 _Fire away Trecht, hope it's a good one! (Pun not intended, I swear!)_

Trecht: "Alright then. If the left shoe uses the symbol 'Blink' for teleportation, what is 'Storm' used for?"

 _*Sigh* Sorry, but I won't spoiler anything. But I promise you won't have to wait_ _too_ _long for them to get revealed!_

Old Inn Lady: "Well my dear, it seems like you are full of surprises. But for now, this is the end for me..."

Hana: "W-WHAT!? HOLD ON! ARE YOU ILL OR SOMETHING!?"

Old Inn Lady: *deadpanning* "No my dear, but we're at the end of the chapter."

Hana: "Oh, whoops." *Scratches the back of her hand awkwardly* *Whispers to Fire* "Fire, help me!"

 _Oh, um, yeah! Anyway,_

 _The Sir's out!_


	5. The best Enemies

_Welcome back again to the next chapter of 'Daylight's End'! At least I'm not alone here this time-_

Trecht: *Rolls eyes* "As always kid…"

 _-so I would like to ask you to do the disclaimer! Also, today there aren't any other reviews, so those are out of the plan today._

Trecht: "Uhm, sure thing kid. But before that…what is that thing behind you?"

 _What are you talking a- OH S***! WAIT!_ *Hook flies by*

Hana: "Dammit, I missed! Stay. STILL!"

 _I thought we were over this Hana! I just repaired my cloak, so seize it already!_

Hana: "NO! I need to know how you look in person so that question is answered once and for all! *Thinks for a moment* Hm... *Sees Trecht* Oh Trecht~!"

Trecht: "Oh, what's up?"

Hana: "If you help me to hold down Fire over there, then I'll pay you your weight times 30 in Jewels~!

 _Uhm…g-guys?_

Trecht: "My weight times 100."

Hana: "Your weight times 50."

 _G-guys!? You aren't seriously-!_

Trecht: "My weight times 85."

Hana: "Your weight times 60."

 _Hello!? M-maybe we c-can talk a-about t-_

Trecht: "My weight times 75. Last offer, give or take."

Hana: "Alright, your weight times 75 in Jewels. Now do your job already!"

Trecht: *Smirking* "With pleasure." *Grabs Fire from behind*

 _O-OI! LET ME GO TRECHT! YOU CAN'T JUST SELL ME OUT LIKE THIS! YOU TRAITOR!_

Trecht: "Sorry, but I just did, kid. I may be friendly and all, but you can't ignore an easy opportunity for money like that. Plus, this isn't going to do actual harm to you, so stop squirming and take it like a man."

Hana: "Perfect! Now, let's reveal the mystery once and for all, shall we~? *Raises hand towards hood*"

 _W-WAIT! TRECHT! I'LL PAY YOU TWO TIMES THE AMOUNT HANA GIVES YOU! N-NO, HOLD ON! T-THREE TIMES THE AMOUNT IF YOU LET ME GO!_

Trecht: "Sorry pal, but we both know that you're broke after the repair for the cloak. Also even if there was enough money included, I was also curious on how you looked like. Take it like this…I don't do this for the cash, but rather out of curiosity! Now, before we start… MrFiretank here doesn't own 'Fairy Tail', but only us as his personal OC's and the story 'Daylight's End'.

Hana: "Now, with the disclaimer out of the way~!"

 _NO, P-PLEASE DON'T!_

Trecht: "Roll the next chapter!"

 _NOOOOOOOOOO!_

…

 **CHAPTER 5 – THE BEST ENEMIES**

* * *

Trecht was holding the tip of his straw hat while sipping on his beer. When he put down his jug, he sighed before speaking up. "Well then kid. Tell me what you want to know and I'll answer you as good as I can."

I thought up a few questions before the first one was spoken up. "Alright, what is that Dark Guild, why have they been here today and why did they threatened the bartender?"

Trecht's look became a bit distant until he spoke up. "Those guys were from a gark guild that calls itself 'Full Blood'. They had been persistent in this area for a while, but it mostly started around two months ago…"

TWO MONTHS!? "But why are they still here? Couldn't you do anything until this point?"

Trecht's voice turned into murmurs while speaking with me. "Well, we wish we could do something against those pigs, kid. But see…the problem is-"

"We aren't strong enough." A new voice spoke up behind us, to we turned to its source and saw a guy in his 50s standing there. He was wearing a dark blue turtleneck and brown pants with black business shoes. He had a pair of doctor's glasses on his green eyes and surveyed me for a bit before speaking up again while ruffling his short, brown hair. "Trust me, we've tried it already. We could handle most of them, since there are only less that a handful of mages in their guild. But we aren't mages ourselves, so fighting those people in particular would be nothing more than childish."

Most of the people in the tavern,after they heard the old man's voice turned their stares directly at him and froze on the spot. That is, until they spoke up in unison:

"M-MAYOR LINDHEIM!?"

Hold up! This kind looking man was the mayor of Loeyur!? "Y-you're the mayor of this village!? I'm sorry for being so rude to you! It wasn't in my int-"

Before I could rant on with my apologies, Lindheim put his left hand on my head and ruffled the few strains of hair that weren't covered by my black wool cap out of my face. "There is nothing to be sorry for my child. After all, you protected every one of us today with your actions. In fact, I should apologize for not acting earlier after hearing what had occurred in this lovely place."

The bartender's cheeks warmed up, if just by a tad bit, but he didn't let anyone notice it. Trecht, who was staring at the mayor as well until now, was out of his shock already and then spoke in a respective tone towards the man. "It's really nice to finally see you, my good friend. Would you like to take a jug of beer with us Lindheim? Today's on me anyway."

The mayor let his mind fall in concentration before putting on a friendly face again. "Well, most of the paperwork is done today. So I guess a break with some nice people won't do any harm."

Some people cheered when they heard the answer of their head. He then sat down besides Trecht, who prepared a jug with his own brew and put it infront of him. He took a small sip, before he turned towards me and asked: "So my child. I overheard you and Trecht talking about the problem our village is in at this moment. Well, as much as I would avoid talking about this…it is only fair if you're aware of the situation…so, ask away." He really wanted to avoid the situation, it was written all over his face, but he gave me the opportunity already. So, as much as it pains him…

"How is it that they are terrorizing this village in the first place?" He took a moment until answering.

"Well, my child…it has something to do with one of the biggest treasures of this little place here. As you are aware, we are a village famous for our trading capabilities and production. My job as the mayor is to ensure that our partners do regular deals with us and uphold our contact."

Trecht decided to speak up at this point. "And as you're aware these pigs are interested in money. They decided that once they found out about us that they started to pillage our shops and vendors from time to time. But as the situation went on, the attacks and robberies became more...violent…their leader for example gave out a rule for all of his members."

Then a voice within the tavern decided to speak up. "He told those guys to 'kill every one of those useless rats as long as we get everything they possess.' And so they did. They attacked us with weapons and in rare cases even magic, took people of this village hostage and forced us to pay ransom and even set fires to our houses if we didn't pay for their 'ensurance'. They didn't even hesitate to kill any upstanders…none of those who tried to are alive at this point..." Looking towards the voice, it was one of the two workers from the roof I saw earlier. His expression was filled with hate and disgust, but what made the atmosphere even worse was that I now realized just how bad the situation was. The villagers were forced to give all their possessions to 'Full Blood', or they'd die trying to defend it.

Then the mayor continued. "With the situation out of hand, I'd do everything to maintain peace at this point. Sadly, their leader has a different goal in mind."

Now my curiosity spiked. Sure, I hated this 'leader'-person already more than the members I had beaten up today, but the interest of mine was bigger than my rage. So I let it slide for now, until the questions were cleared.

Trecht answered my mental-question on the spot, but was strained as he spoke up. "Their leader demanded that we give out something in particular. He wants to possess our trading logbook…as you know the partners our mayor is talking about are constantly active and we work as hard as we can to maintain that. Within the trading logbook, there are the names of the other villages as well as a few of our bigger business partners in there who are involved. If we were to give it to them…" He then trailed off, but I understood what he meant.

'They'd drag everybody within the logbook into the situation as well.' "But wait. If you know of other villages, then why don't you try to get help from them and take 'Full Blood' down together?"

The mayor sighed as he answered me and spoke slowly. "The situation is not as easy to explain as you think it would be. See, we would gladly try to take help from others. But the problem is this. While there are enough people who would help us out, we need help from people that are strong enough with magic. But sadly no one possesses the required power to do so, especially with their mages. And we can't even request help from the other guilds, since we don't have the requiring funds to set up a quest that fits the potential risk involved. We even wrote to the Magic Council, but our letters are getting intercepted...plus all couriers that we had sent out got either crippled...or killed. In this situation we aren't really getting pillaged. No...they only take away a steady amount of money and resources from us, which slowly pushes us into our demise."

I think I got it... "Like a minimal outcome that slowly fades away basically." Lindheim nodded before he added. "Also, while there are people who would try to oppose our suppressors, we would fail against their few wizards. We don't exactly know how many there are, but even all of us combined would fail against their forces. In an area like this there aren't really a lot of them around…If we would start going after them now, then…"

"They'd slaughter you until no one else was left." It was official. This Dark Guild already went too far with them robbing and killing everyone. But letting all of those villagers suffer slowly more and more until they would either die from the hands of a Dark Guild Member or become poor and starve to death is inhumane. So, taking those facts into consideration, I made a resolve. I would help those people, even if it means my own end. And so I spoke up.

"I'll do it." Everybody's eyes went wide in shock at my response. These people lost their hope a while ago, so they never expected to see a glimmer of hope. Their responses were pretty much the same as expected...

"Are you crazy!? Do you want to die!?"

"You can't just run after them and try to save our lives without killing yourself in the process!"

"Are you suicidal!?"

The mayor decided to step in and put his right hand up. All voices got silenced as he did so. "The others are right my child. As you could already hear and see from past events, those members are unforgiving. They will not hesitate to take your life and/or torture you beforehand. We would gladly allow you to help us. But we don't want anyone else to get hurt from all of this."

Then Trecht went on as he spoke. "You have proven to be strong kid, we can't deny that. But those enemies today were only some random goons. In comparison to the mages of 'Full Blood', they are nothing more than cannon fodder. Be logical for a second and-"

"NO!" That was it. Their attempts in stopping me only proved my point more. All of those people only wanted to live peacefully and not hurt anyone else. They just wanted to be free. My eyes got shadowed by the bangs in my face as I went on. "This Dark Guild is surely but slowly dragging you down into despair and ruins your lives. They hurt you so much that you don't even believe in yourself anymore!" My words have been rash, but they were the painful truth. Some of the villagers looked away in shame, confirming my statement even more.

"I can't just sit idle and see how everybody here decays from all of this! You said that you needed somebody strong. Somebody who is powerful enough to overthrow them! Wasn't that it!?" I balled my left hand into a fist and grabbed my sword in the right one. "Well, here I am. Now's your chance to get rid of this terror once and for all! I might not be the best mage in all of Earth Land, but my resolve stands! I **WILL** help you! Even if you can't accept this fact, I won't blame you, but know that there is  somebody who will help you! And after all…"

Now I was standing upright and looked at all of the shocked faces of the villagers. I was starting to tear up, since this was just so sad to witness...it was so wrong. There was a glint of sadness in everybody's eyes. One, which I knew from my old life all too well. This was the sight of somebody who lost his dreams by the hands of somebody else...so picking up the emotional momentum I spoke (or rather shouted) as loud as I could to finish my speech.

" **NOBODY DESERVES SUCH A FATE!"**

It went silent within the tavern itself. The vacuum of over a dozen of people getting shocked by the proud words of a teenager. Each person tried to comprehend what I just said, but it sure took them a long while.

The mayor was one of the very first to speak up in a small voice. "As much as it pains my heart to admit this, you really are one of the last ones that could help us. Are you really sure that nothing will step you down from your opinion, not even death?" He tried one last time to remove his doubts. His fear of a child getting send to hell and back for this small village.

"My resolve stands. Whatever you say, it won't change a thing. But I want you to let me do it. I want your permission to do this, Mayor Lindheim!" The confidence in my voice turned so solid that you could drop a bomb on it, and it'd be still left unscratched.

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Clannad OST - Roaring Tides II')_

The mayor eyes turned to the ground. He had a few tears building up in them, but tried to hold them in. "Then I must please ask you for something…" What he did then shocked everybody in the building. Myself included.

"MAYOR LINDHEIM!" Everybody shouted in unison.

The mayor stood up, went to his knees and bowed with his hands down. He then let his tears fall freely and spoke in a shaky, but loud voice. "All of my p-people, a-all of t-their children and the next g-generations would n-never f-forgive me if I'd a-allow this! But p-please, **please**! Please safe Loeyur and help us to finally achieve peace, so that NO ONE in this village gets hurt anymore!"

The other villagers also became teary as their mayor broke down. Some let them fall freely, while others fought their inner battles, winning or losing to a certain degree. They, however, were hoping all the same thing.

"Help us s-so our children can live a normal life! T-they don't deserve *sob* to exp-perience so much bloodshed!"

"You need to end this nightmare! We cannot take this anymore!"

"There has to be some hope left! So please, show us that you're our savior!"

When their pleas for help were spoken, I froze for the frame of a second. It reminded me of a sentence my mother told me once when I was younger. It was a memory I kept safely in my heart and did everything to not forget it.

* * *

 _A 5-year old version of me was sitting outside on the balcony of the house I lived. I had a nightmare about my parents calling me useless and started shouting at me. I never liked it when I got scolded at, and luckily my parents did comply with that as they never got really mad at me. Sure, sometimes I got in trouble, but they'd usually just tell me to never do it again and let me off the hook afterwards._

 _The darkness of the night was driven away by the moonlight that illuminated the night sky while I was crying my eyes out as I tried to not remember the words that I heard too often in my mind. The others always went too far, so one day they burned into my mind._

' _Your parents surely must hate you. Nobody could like an abomination like you!'_

' _I wonder when they will get rid of you!'_

' _Just do them a favor and go die already!'_

 _A small creak behind me brought my thoughts to a stop. I didn't bother to turn around as I was drowning in my own depression. The only sound that rang in the air loudly were the sobs that I tried to suppress so badly._

" _Sweetie, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" My mother put a hand on my shoulder and bend down to my level. As I slowly turned to her, looking at her with red, puffy eyes my heart shattered more than it already was. Her face got illuminated by the moon you could see her sad frown on her face, blue eyes at the brim of tears and short, tomboy-ish black hair gave her a unique appearance that left most of the people that saw her for the first time in confusion. "You know that your mom's always there for you, right?"_

 _Suppressing my thoughts, I rubbed my eyes and tried to speak between my sobs. "M-mommy? *sob* D-do you t-think that *sob* I a-am u-useless?"_

 _The expression on her features turned into shock as she pulled me into a close hug. I did the same as I needed her warmth so badly right now. "Oh sweetie! You never were useless to us. I and your dad love you with all of our hearts. Why would you ever think that?" Her usually cheerier voice almost cracked as she didn't want to break up. One of us had to be strong, so the other one was safe. She was always there when I needed her the most, and she never hesitated to take actions if I was endangered._

" _T-the others at s-school. *sob* T-they always call m-me bad t-things and *sob* s-say I'd be b-better off d-d…"_

 _It was too much. For the second time in the night I broke down. But this time I had shoulder to cry on. One that was happy to be there, and not just out of pity. She rubbed my back reassuringly and let me cry my soul out. "It's alright...let it all out...don't worry. Nothing of what they're saying is true, you'll always stay our beloved little sweetheart." I didn't understand her clearly between my sobs and cries, it was just too much for 5-year old to bear...and after what felt like an eternity, she rubbed my tears away with her hand and then asked in a soft voice: "Do you know how I always calmed down?"_

 _I got confused by that statement, since I was still a young child. So she elaborated. "Whenever I was sad in your age, I always sat down in the night and looked towards the moon in front of me."_

 _Of course my mind wasn't completely there. So I asked her in my small voice. "But…why the moon?"_

 _She stared at said planetary mass during our conversation, but turned towards me as she spoke. "Because it's always there. When our lives crash down onto us, we always try to stand up. Some of us even lose everything during the progress. During the day, the sun was hot and burning, and always the same. But the moon…it was calm, not too distracting. And the best of all…" Giving a small glance towards it, she spoke up again. "It always changes with us. It's never just a full or half-moon. There is always change. And with change…"_

 _She then gave me a kind smile as she ruffled my short, black hair. "There is always hope." She then picked me up bridal style and put me back to bed. I had already fallen asleep until then, so she put my blanket over me again and kissed me on the forehead before walking out of my room. I had a big smile on my face during all of this. "Good night my little sweetheart."_

 _And I never had nightmares or any doubts in my life from this day on. It was the day I became the wonderful child of an honest and caring mother._

* * *

It was the truth. The light of day didn't brought hope. They got dragged into sadness and hopelessness under it's wake…but now there was hope. I could bring a change to Loeyur and all of its residents.

"I promise. I promise that I will change everything and safe you from 'Full Blood'." And I was going to make sure of that.

The mayor wiped away his tears as he stood up and gave me a big smile. "Then it's settled. We will escort you to their hideout if you want us to."

Trecht then stood up and put his hand up. "I'll be damned if I let you just charge in there by yourself. I may not be strong, but I can play the escort if you want, and maybe bash some goons on the head while we're on it!"

There also had been a few shouts from the crowd that wanted to help, but could they really hold their own weight? ...Well, I should be thankful for them at the very least.

Nodding towards them, the mayor then put his hands behind his back and turned towards me. "Alright. Again, all of us are thankful for your help. But you might want to return to the inn and get a good rest for tomorrow. It will be a tough day."

I complied and then bid farewell to everybody…well, not everybody as Trecht gave me a free ride back to the inn. When he dropped me off, he gave me an assuring smile and then went his way. "I'll pick you and the others up tomorrow, have a good night towards then!"

I waved back to him and then went to my room. The old lady who owned the inn did a bit of talking with me, but let me be as she saw my tiredness and the bandages on my forearms. When I entered my own abode, I put my sword, my shoulder bag and my shoes away, then hanged my jacket and my wool cap in the same closet where everything else was stationed at and then went to sleep.

'Tomorrow is going to be a rough day…'

 _(Stop playing_ _'Clannad OST - Roaring Tides II' if you've played it)_

* * *

In a loud area within the middle of the night there was a medium-sized hideout, similar to a cave. There were a lot of men and women drinking and shouting around. Some of them had been drunken while others were asleep. Most of them had a symbol somewhere on their skin: A red swirl with a dagger in the middle of it. The mark of the Dark Guild 'Full Blood'…

In a small room with stone walls, there were two people inside it. Outside of the room you could hear the commotion of the other members. In the inside there was a small desk with Jewelry and a lot of Jewels (money) on top of it. It was the money taken from this pesky trading village, Loeyur or whatever.

Behind the desk, you could see a man who wasn't older than thirty sitting in an armchair. He was watching the remeaning members of the last raid with brown, wolf-like eyes. His messy, white hair had the odor of blood and his hands reminded everyone more of the claws of the mentioned animal. He had a purple trench coat on, its sleeves had been ripped off and black fur decorated the ends of it. He was the leader of the Dark Guild, and was by far the most cruel person in 'Full Blood'.

Besides the Leader was another man standing upright, this one not older than twenty. His brown-red eyes observed everything through his doctor-glasses and his posture reminded most of the people as one of a soldiers, which was understandable with his stare fixed forward, both arms on his sides and his feet pressed together. Cleaned, short black hair, clothes consisting out of a green semi-harness that left his arms and lower feet free, plus a brown t-shirt with long sleeves under it, similar colored pants and green combat boots with a dark brown cape. His face expression was stoic, and seemed emotionless.

In front of the two were the beaten up members who manage to escape from the village guards after their beat down. The third member didn't escape as he was still knocked out by the time the other two woke up, so they abandoned him. They were kneeing down before the desk and plead to the white haired individual.

"So what you're saying is that the people of Loeyur will send a mage after us that might be strong enough to **ruin our plan**?" His voice was calm and steady, but there was sadistic and murderous undertone in it.

"Y-yes! That girl managed to beat us and knocked both of us out! She-she was a dirty fighter and- GAH!" It was the same scarred man who led the job yesterday.

"And you're saying that you **three lost to a single person,** **correct**!?" He was grinning like a madman…his eyes widened and he showed his sharp fangs that could easily rip a person apart. His claw-like nails drew blood at the chokehold of the poor soul in front of him.

The man with the glasses balled his left hand into a fist, suppressing any sort of emotion but silently getting mad at the actions of his guild master. 'Stop hurting them. Stop treating them like human trash already!'

"Well if you're **right** …" He whispered into the man's ear, before using magic and turning his occupied arm into a hairy, buffed-up claw that was snow-white.

" **Then** **I DON'T NEED YOU THREE ANYMORE**!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Slaughtering the men in front of him and leaving behind a bloody mess on the floor, the leader finally calmed down. Their screams got silenced and all of them got murdered in cold blood. Sighing from the exhaustion he sat down behind his desk again before waving his wolf-like hand around and speaking up. "Duvac! Bring somebody in here to clean up this mess! And while you're at it, order Fujimaru and Matsuri to kill that troublemaker and the runaway, will ya?"

His advisor then turned towards his master with suppressed anger in the dephts of his hidden feelings and quickly replied.

"Right away, Dao." Duvac's tone was flat, but inwards he was scowling at the mad man's antics. He never liked it to be on his side, and Dao never respected his suggestions. He was just there to witness all the brutal acts that happened without a care in the world. And that pissed him off. After he ordered some random guys to clean the massacre up, he then walked towards a small bar at the right side of the cave where the Dark Guilds' top duo was sitting on a couch.

A pair of twins not older than twenty, male and female sat together in silence and tension while watching the fights of the other members. They both had messy blond-brown hair (The man in a surfer-cut while the girl had a high ponytail with bangs on the side of her face) and azure-blue eyes. They wore both black kimonos and had a single shoulder patch out of gold-colored steel (The man on the right and the girl on the left shoulder, similar in style to the ones from shoguns). They also wore sandals and white socks as footwear. When the man noticed Duvac coming towards them, he gave him a small smile.

"Hello Duvac. I see that you're finally out of that damn office. Are you having a break with us?" The man's voice was calm and relaxed as he spoke, causing her sister to notice the newcomer in their round.

"Oh, heyo Duvac! Did you finally decide to quit being a statue for once~?" The blond's voice was cheerful and happy to see a good friend of hers. They didn't have a lot of them in the guild, as both of them were rather pacifists than killers. The only reason they haven't gotten disposed of yet, was due to them being strong mages. In fact, the only two ones in 'Full Blood' beside Dao and Duvac.

"I'm afraid that neither is of the case." His voice was still stoic as he tried to avoid showing any visible form of emotion. Duvac hardened his features as he turned towards the older brother of the two. "Fujimaru, you have been given a task by Dao alongside your sister…" All three of them were not too happy about this information. Since the weaker members of the guild had been assigned to raid the village and kill any random person who dared to oppose them. So it was in the hands of the mages, hence them, to only get rid of major problems. Permanently...

"Oh god…not AGAIN Duvac! We can't kill another poor soul who just tries to give the people a better ending…" Matsuri's attitude turned as she let her emotions run wild. She disliked those tasks as much as her brother, but never showed it towards the guild. She just had to stand at the sidelines and let those jerks insult them for 'almost never doing anything'. She was able to smile on the outside, but every comment from their other members hurt a **lot.**

"My deepest apologies, but as you know…the choice is not made by me." He allowed himself to take a sad undertone into his words. The twins were the only people in this guild that had been on friendly terms with the usually cold advisor. They respected each other as much as possible and had never any trouble under themselves.

Sighing sadly, Fujimaru decided to stand up and walk towards their temporary quarters. "Then we'll have to pack for the trip tomorrow." An obvious lie, Duvac noticed. There actually was nothing to do, as they normally walked around with what was on them. But Matsuri knew better. She was aware of the inner turmoil in him, and he needed the free time to let his guilt not consume him.

Before he was completely out of sight, he stopped and spoke in an almost pleading voice. "Matsuri, would you like to help me?" He needed the emotional support from one of the only two people that he could actually trust, and luckily her sister was always there for him.

With a sad smile she stood up and walked towards him. "Gladly, brother." Turning again towards Duvac, she nodded to him as a thanks for his help who only copied the action before walking back to Dao's office.

On his way there he let his thoughts come up for a short moment and sighed as he picked up the pace.

'Whoever is coming for us, I hope they know the weight of this situation. And if they aren't prepared for this war…'

He imagined himself the vision of the bloody and mangled corpses he witnessed every day. Their broken bodies and lost blood strewn around everywhere. A sight that was worthy of a living nightmare. Suppressing a shudder, he adjusted his glasses as he reached the door of his guild master and finished his thoughts one last time as he walked through it.

'Then all of their lives will be at stake...'

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): So today we have a bit more emotional chapter and the build-up from the other side of the storyline. Trust me, the information given throughout this story might wary from importance, so some stuff may require to be kept in your minds…Hana, why haven't you interrupted me yet, what's wrong?_

Hana: *Shudder* "It's just…I can't get the picture out of my head. This is going to be my next nightmare fuel…"

Trecht: "No amount of booze is going to fix that. And that's for sure…"

 _Hey! I'm not_ _that_ _ugly! Also I warned you about it!_

Jessica: "Oh come on Hana! It can't be as bad as you think!" *Feels tap on her shoulder, looks beside her and sees 'G'*

'G': "Trust me on this Jessica. If there is something she is truly afraid of, then it's really that bad."

 _OI! CAN YOU STOP HURTING MY FEELINGS AND LET ME CLOSE THE CHAPTER FOR NOW!?_

Mayor: "She will get over it eventually, so don't let it be so emotional in your feels."

 _Hmm…fair point. Alright then, until the next addition of 'Daylight's End' is done,_

 _The Sir's out!_


	6. A Watcher's Challenge

_Okay, before I actually start off with the next chapter that had been over-due for…okay, I seriously don't know how long it had been since I wrote ANYTHING for the story, I just wanted to apologize to everyone that expected me to get off my ***. If you're wondering what happened, well…multiple things happened at once._

 _First off, school began when I was 'supposed' to work on Chapter 6, so my time was mostly occupied by learning and fixing my grades, cause truth be told, they are horrendous. I'll not explain them individually to safe that tiny bit of information security for myself (Unless the NSA or anyone else shows up and tries to dig up dirt about us :-/), but I can tell you that I was close to repeating the year._

 _So over the next months I tried to use my account for small things such as finding interesting stories and writing VERY short reviews to other well-made stories (mostly in the realm of OCs). But between those times I learned and the times I actually went online, I just couldn't bring myself to write another Chapter. You can call it as you will, Writers-Blockage, Laziness or lost Interest in writing._

 _I can guarantee you that I haven't forgotten about 'Daylight's End' over those months, but writing down personal thoughts became quite…difficult for me. So I decided to get into the office chair I usually sit in, crack my knuckles and start typing not only for the sake of my story, but also for the writers that had actually enjoyed this short fanfiction, that was supposed to go for far, FAR longer than that._

 _To keep things short in the sake of TL:DR…_

 _I'm sorry for leaving, I am back, and I'll write the story from now on again as much as I can manage. Promise. I hope you can forgive me…_

* * *

… _Well, but now that we're back, how about resuming where we left off? After all, if I keep glooming around we won't entertain anyone!_

Jessica: "I guess it's good that you're here. I mean, I didn't even get to help those villagers before you disappeared on us! *sigh* Just warn us and the audience first before you pull off such a stunt, alright?"

 _Don't worry, duty noted. Also, since I don't want to steal much of the screen time that is left for the intro, we two will just skip instantly to the responses from our readers! We received 2 over the course of time, so we'll answer them regardless of their date, alright?_

Jessica: "Sure thing, 1 reads an envelope each?"

 _Fine by me._

Jessica: "Alright, let's see…" *Grabs dusty envelope* "Wow…they've been here for a LONG time. Alright, I got one from… **'ThePinkJirachi'**." *Opens up envelope* **"Are you planning on updating? I'm definitely interested in what happens next!"** "Well, thank you that you showed interest in our story, and if you're still alive, then you can read our updates from today onwards! They will be irregular though, so please don't expect us to publish them at a steady rate, for that it's still too early."

 _Alright, now it's my turn. *Grabs second envelope* Here we got one…from_ **'AutistSheep'** _! An unusual name, but if you like it, I won't judge! *Opens envelope*_ **"Dissapointed…"** _Well, sorry to hear that man. You know, I try to write the chapters by correcting them multiple times, most of these times AFTER I published them, to keep them clean from writing errors and/or bad written parts._

 _If you don't enjoy the story up to the point you've read them, then go ahead, you can either skip it entirely, not read it at all or just wait until the next Chapters are rolling around. But for my works usually go the common rules: If you don't like the fanfiction, nobody forces you to read it. So yeah, sorry to hear it man, but you're not bound here!_

Jessica: "Okay, so now that we've gotten the reviews out of the way, we can move on to the disclaimer and then finally move on." *Cough* "MrFiretank does not own 'Fairy Tail' or its characters. However, he does own 'Daylight's End' and the entire OC-Cast that goes along with it."

 _Thank you very much Jessica. Now, without much further ado, after over half a year of unofficial hiatus, I can finally say these words with fair use…ROLL THE NEXT CHAPTER!_

…

 **CHAPTER 6 – A WATCHER'S CHALLENGE**

* * *

After yesterday's events I was drained, both mentally and physically. The new task put onto my shoulders didn't help out with that. So here I was waking up in the bed of my own rented room, with the sunlight shining through the two windows that existed, smelling the aroma of scrambled eggs and bacon beside me and trying to wake up my stiff mu- wait! Why do I smell breakfast!?

As unsurprising as it should have been, I looked groggily to my left and lo-and behold…on the small side table of my room laid a plate of cooked bacon with scrambled eggs, toast and strawberry jam on it. There even was a glass of fresh orange juice laying besides it. For what felt like an eternity I felt my jaw opening and closing like a fish on land. 'Who decides to walk unannounced into my room just to make me breakfast!?' Since I just woke up, my brain had been partially off, so I never considered who actually could have done this. But I knew one thing…

*Grumble* When my stomach cried out, I felt a small blush rising on my face and decided to think about it later. For now, I'd enjoy this wonderful breakfast and then walk to the town-hall until further notice.

* * *

She knew that the girl must have had a lot of troubles sleeping properly. After all, who just decides to save an entire Village from a Dark Guild capable of ripping them all apart? So when she woke up earlier that morning, she wanted to let the girl feel herself at home. With a plan in hand, she went to the local market and bought the ingredients for a special breakfast, went with those in hand to the inn's kitchen (that had been currently not used, due to the town's situation limiting her funds for an actual cook) and made them into a plate of carefully made food with the orange juice as a bonus.

'Well, with my age it becomes more and more difficult to move for me…even such simple things as cooking have become quite a strain for myself.' That was mostly true, due to the pain of regular tasks, she wasn't able to naturally do any manual labor, and even regular tasks took its toll for her.

When she heard the sound of cutlery being picked up, she showed a small smile on her face while walking back down the stairs. 'Oh, the young generation these days…they are so full of surprises, but even I can assist their goals as long as I can move these old bones…'

With a small chuckle she planned the day ahead and spoke in a small voice before returning to her desk. "Loeyur may have had its worst 2 months behind it. But we believe in you, so may those who have fallen for this village protect you on your merry way, my child."

* * *

"Alright, so what is the plan for today?"

After my morning was spent well by waking up and getting dressed for today, I decided to not dawdle and walked directly to the mayor's office. When I arrived, however, there were probably 20 people standing in front of Lindheim's door.

"Uhm…can I help you…l-ladies a-and gentleman?" Don't misunderstand me, I was kinda intimidated at the sight of buffed men and women with sharp, pointy weapons standing like the Great Wall of China in front of me! My callout worked, however, as the two closest people (a man with short brown hair, wearing a maroon tank top with a sword in its sheath on his back a woman with red hair tied into two ponytails, wearing some kind of self-made leather armor and holds a trident in her hand) looked to me…or rather looked down on me.

'Now I know why some anime characters get mad when they're made fun of about their size…'

The red-haired woman stared at me a little, closed her eyes before those shot open in realization. "Oh! You're the mage that appeared yesterday and scared off those pansies at the bar, am I right?" I gave a mere nod while trying not to shake at the sight of 20 pairs of eyes staring down at you. 'Oh man, it's my friend's 12th birthday all over again!'

The woman didn't miss the nervousness that I was radiating, so she went full commando for a short moment, because instantly she turned around and spoke in the most threatening voice I've heard from anybody so far. " ** _Men_** **. Why are you all staring down at our guest of honor? Can't you see that you're making her nervous…?** " But what made her voice so impressive was the amount of authority it held, similar to 'G's…yet…more girlish.

It seemed to hit its mark, however, as almost all man in front of me paled and quickly tried to distract themselves. I even saw two of them watching their shoes with so much focus that I expected their footwear to fly off any second.

Instantly I relaxed and gave released a breath I hadn't even realized I held in. The woman chucked before reaching out a hand towards me. "The name's Sietta! I am responsible for the town-…or rather its village-watch around here with the men assigned to me."

She then gestured to her right as the continued. "The silent guy besides me is Yorc! He rarely ever speaks, but don't worry, he's a kind man and good protector. That's also why he is my 2nd-in-command!"

He greeted me with a small grunt, but said nothing else. 'Yep…defiantly the non-talkative type.' Okay, that's that, but why are they here exactly? "Uhm, if I may ask miss Sietta, b-"

"Okay, **zip** the whole 'Miss'-thing. I feel like an old granny if you call me like that. Just call me Sietta and we'll be A-O-K!" I don't know why but even when she was grinning towards me she made it sound like a threat towards me that said: ' **Screw up one more time and see what the consequences will be…'**

Okay, don't freak out before the scary lady who can call out death-wishes while smiling like a fox! 'SCARY LADY!' "U-UHM!? O-Ok S-Sietta! I-I wanted t-to ask you a-as to why y-you're here!?"

She looked confused before stating: "Well, you plan to charge into the hideout of 'Full Blood', isn't that right?" Yorc, who was still standing beside her gave a small grunt as a confirmation

"Hm." Sietta nodded to him with a sideways glance before she looked me dead in the eye. "You are quite brave to risk going there. So we from Loeyur's best want to make sure that you arrive there in a single piece!"

"Hold on." Now we all turned to look towards Yorc, who didn't say anything until now, but holy…his voice was as deep as a baritone. Even the other men from the village-watch looked at him like he grew a second head. "Before we go…" He slowly raised his right hand towards the sheathed sword on his…oh no…

And as soon he drew it, I paled when he swung the blade right in front of my face exactly between my eyes. And the most terrifying part…

*SHING* …He was so fast, that I didn't even see him swing the sword regularly. "…Fight me."

…Eep.

* * *

Right now sitting alone at an office desk in an ocean of white was the chairman of heaven himself. He was currently filling out the documents for a new recruit under his department, when he suddenly stopped writing. His eyes closed from both frustration and awareness of the situation, so he stood up and set his own pen down.

"I knew you'd come to see me again…but so soon…Lucifer." He turned around to see his long-term nemesis standing a few feet away from him in a shroud of black mist that slowly grew by the minute. His black / dark-grey hair and garment created a perfect contrast for 'G's look, which was the same as to when he sent you towards your journey. 'I just hope that he didn't catch too much wind on Jessica…'

His counterpart gave a small chuckle that could have sent shivers down everybody's spine…except his rival who was the only entity that opposed the ruler of hell without fear in his mind. "My, you've certainly been busy 'G'…or would you allow an old friend of yours to call you Garrison for now?"

'G' didn't like the situation one bit. Why? Because that was the nickname for him that was given from the recently kidnapped friend of his. "So you actually searched her mind for Intel…first this and now you play mind-games with me?" It wasn't helping either that nobody was aware of the presence of Lucifer yet. He knew that he could 'appear' out of nowhere, but if he could conceal such a dark and murderous presence, then he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Oh, how you flatter me, Garrison. Perhaps you need a reminder to the rules of war for that simple mindset of yours, no?" His smirk grew ever so slightly, and 'G' knew that he was enjoying every second of this stare-down between himself and his archrival.

The caretaker of heaven tried to suppress his anger and succeeded, although it took him a few solid seconds to calm down entirely. He stared (or rather glared) at his 'friend' before asking him. "Okay…why are you really here, Lucifer? We both know that you never make a move unless it benefits you."

The ruler of hell silently laughed behind his hand as he spoke in an amused tone. "My, my, still perceptive as always, aren't we? Well, I just wanted to have a bit of small talk with you, given the new circumstances that have been active until now."

'G' thought about this for a moment and then proceeded to create 2 armchairs out of thin air while 'filling' the space in between those with a small coffee table and an already prepared chess-board laying on its surface. Lucifer silently chuckled as he and heaven's chairman both walked to their respective sides. "So, I guess we will use our regular wager for this game, right?" 'G' couldn't 'battle' him up here in heaven, since the ruckus would cause everybody to stop their current activity and possibly cause many, MANY incidents to happen at once. This was the only way to get to a peaceful reasoning with no violence what-so-ever, or otherwise, no distractions.

His rival smirked with a sadistic undertone to it while taking his place on the armchair. The moment his hand touched the flashy piece of furniture, it turned into a really strong black. The same happened with half of the table as well as the patterned half of the chess-board facing him. "Ah, yes~. The sole victor of this game may ask the loser one question of his choosing."

'G' knew what risk he would take. He knew that if he'd lose, then your identity, your life and possibly your own freedom would be at stake. But besides that small twinge of doubt, he also felt calmness and concentration take its place. 'I can't panic right now or show ANY signs of fear to that trickster.' He threw Lucifer a dirty glare inside of his mind while keeping a stoic impression on his face. 'If I slip up even once…then…no, stop these thoughts!'

His nemesis Meanwhile just silently stared at him while calling him out. "Well then, Garrison…you have the first move. If you may keep me entertained~."

* * *

We're currently standing inside a bigger conference hall that was a few doors away from Lindheim's office. I was standing a few feet away for Yorc, who now had a wooden stick in his hand instead of his sword. And no, it wasn't a way of describing a Bokutō, it was literally just a wooden stick! I, on the other hand had my god-gifted sword and my special boots ready on me. I wasn't sure if I should feel nervous or insulted about this match-up. But, probably knowing my luck I'll eat my words the moment this begins.

Both the rest of village-watchers and the other people involved (those being Trecht and Lindheim) were present as well, watching from the sidelines and cheering on both of us as Sietta was playing the self-chosen referee.

"Okay, here are the rules for everybody, for the last time! Both Jessica and Yorc will fight for 15 minutes with their respective weaponry against each other. In addition, Jessica may use her own magical abilities while Yorc may only fight serious when deeming the situation necessary." 'Seems reasonable so far.'

"The conditions for winning are the following: When Jessica manages to knock down Yorc within the given time-frame or can damage him with a median wound at minimum, the win goes to her. If, otherwise, Yorc can withstand all attacks that will be soon thrown at him, he gets the win. The outcome of this duel will determine our further plans."

Wait, what plans? "Excuse me m- uh, Sietta?" She looked at me while gesturing to me to continue. "What do you mean with 'this duel will determine our further plans'? Also, WHY do I have to duel Yorc, you didn't even explain me why!"

Before I could let my anger out I felt the unholy glare of Sietta pointed towards me. But it softened completely as she spoke to you again. "Before you arrived, we had to make sure of a few things. The biggest one was if we could rely on yourself in the heat of battle. Judging from you current…outfit- 'Hey!'-you do not seem to have a lot of real fighting experience. I mean…how old are you anyway, thirteen?"

This time I verbally argued. "Hey!"

...

…Well…and I came up with no retort…hooray…

"Let me guess, I'm right, aren't I?"

I only gave a small nod as she explained further reasons. "Then see this as your trial set by us. Trecht explained me that you're quite adaptable while fighting your opponents. However, you have not much real skill with a sword and guessing from that magic as well?" To say I was surprised was a **huge** understatement. She caught me off-guard so badly with her observation skills that my gaping mouth was confirmation enough.

"Additionally, you are without a doubt the only person in Loeyur right now that can actively use his magic for combat. Not even **WE** can really do and that is where the bigger problem arrives." Trecht was right, I really was the only mage in their lines right and that basically means-

"In short…" Yorc placed the wooden stick into his right hand while taking a balanced stance. "If you can't beat me…" He then drew his gaze onto mine, and his seriousness was written all over his face. This…this will not be a regular spar… "…then you'll never win against any enemy mages." …this will be a fight against a **real** veteran!

"Alright, since all questions have been cleared, the fight between Jessica and Yorc will commence now!" She took a few steps away as she spoke one more time. "Are both of the combatants ready!?"

"Y-Yes. / "Hm."

"Alright, then the fight will begin in five!"

Okay, this is it, my actual first challenge in this world, and it'll be a **tough** one…

"Four!"

I never fought against a master of the sword before, and judging by his stance and focus…

"Three!"

…He is a real pro. I won't have many opportunities if I don't find something fast to counter-act!

"Two!"

I'll try out a few tactics, maybe I can throw him off like that…but if bad goes to worse…

"One!"

…then I'll have to charge at him with not only the will for battle but rather with the _intent to kill_.

"GO!"

I immediately used the magic ability of my left magic boot and tried to speed up the process this time by somehow forcing my own magic to flow at a faster rate, which I practiced shortly yesterday night. While I was trying to sleep yesterday, I felt the same energy in my stomach from the moment I used it within the tavern. I didn't feel like it was solid, but it rather felt like there was a flow in my magic, like a river. So during the last hours I tried to move the flow…faster…slower…up or down…left or right…

And it seems like my midnight-meditation paid off, because within the same moment of the cast, I could feel the channeling of the ability go down way faster than yesterday, now to aim for h-

"Too slow." Before I could even comprehend what just happened, he already went for an overhead-swing that could damage my shoulder if I let myself get hit by that! He moved so fast!

'W-WHAT!? H-how did he!? Dodge, dodge, **DODGE**!'

Instead of swinging with my right hand out of a 'Blink', I just managed to dodge his swing in the nick of time and get a bit of safety-distance in. I almost got hit by…such a powerful swing. Sure, I managed to block of 'Scarface's attempts of similar attacks, but I dropped to one knee during that. And I'm absolutely that if I get hit by ANY of his attacks, then I'd pay dearly for letting my guard drop…

I tried to shift into his defensive blind-spot, which the side of his body, that didn't held the stick was. But within each attempt he would run at me while I was channeling. My nerves grew slowly frustrated at the situation. 'Crap, the timer's going to run down if I don't hurry!' I was starting to sway a bit after getting hit by his weapon square on the forehead. And DAMN did that hurt. 'He defiantly isn't joking around…' I needed a way to bypass his speed defense, but…!?

* * *

Yorc watches the girl from the distance as got into a more aggressive stance. He managed to surprise her by rushing at her while she was focused on using her magic for multiple times already. 'She seems to really…teleport instantly with the use of her magic.' She seemed to have recovered from the shock, as she stood way back, sword readied at that 40 Angle and perfectly kept horizontal in the middle of her body. 'The sword's position is not bad …but her footing is…way off.'

He seemed to observe her concentrating on her left foot, which was (as he noticed before) the indicator for the 'teleport'-spell. 'Going for the same approach again…?' He dashed to her front again, but this time going for a vertical swing that she couldn't dodge due to its striking speed. 'Foolish…' He was almost within his reach, just a bi-!

* * *

"What the-!?"

"HOW DID SHE-!?"

"No way!"

Trecht couldn't believe what he saw…neither did Lindheim, Sietta or the rest of the People watching the fight go on. What just happened was a premiere to all of them. You see, if you wanted to join the village-watchers you'd always have to go against Yorc to prove you're strong enough. The conditions we're different however, if you'd last 10 minutes in a battle against him then you'd win automatically. However, the scene before their eyes was something to behold…

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Two Steps from Hell – United We Stand Divided We Fall')_

Not only did she manage to predict the attack from Yorc, but she actually managed to **hurt** him! On the field was a surprised Yorc who just received a scratch on the right cheek by Jessica's own attack, which she used to not only interrupt him via. 'Blink' but also get in an attack of her own. She also managed to read the angle of his sword while he charged, which allowed her to aim for the opposite half.

"She…she actually managed to hit him head-on…truly a brave maneuver if I ever saw one." Trecht tried to keep his astonishment inside of him, but failed to do so as his straw-hat actually fell off not too long ago…

'I knew she was determined, but…to show this kind of skill in a first-time situation?' Lindheim knew that this girl was something special, but he still had his doubts, after all…she was going against presumably one of, if not the best sword-skilled fighter of Loeyur. He had planned to forcefully interrupt the match should she get hurt…but now he wasn't sure if he had doubts anymore.

Both Sietta and the village-watchers were left flabbergasted at this hit. The only one who was currently known for ever landing a real hit on Yorc during a close-combat fight was Sietta herself…but now that girl might overcome her…if she keeps going on like this, then she…she could actually **beat** Yorc!

* * *

"Sietta." I allowed yourself a small smirk to show as I was standing in the middle of room, while Yorc decided to return to a defensive position at the end of the room. 'If I actually hadn't figured out that by reducing the 'Blink's distance, I could bypass the magical flow limit at a much faster rate, then this battle would have already been lost…'

'I managed to position the sword perfectly neutral while charging, that threw him off when he saw me charge by 'Blink', in addition, he prepared his own swing at the beginning of his dash, so that allowed me to place my own sword accordingly. This took me much too long to figure out! But…it paid off.'

"Y-yes challenger?" 'Challenger…I kinda like the sound of that!' "How much time do I have left?"

I saw her flinch as she asked for the remaining time from Trecht, who kept a small watch with him. "7 Minutes and 24 Seconds, kid. Half-time!"

You pointed your sword at Yorc in the distance, who had a few but clear emotions on his face. 'Surprise, Worry, and the best of all…a tiny hint of admiration', this battle would exert yourself, but you wouldn't back down…after all…

"For an honorable fight, Yorc!" Your opponent blinked with his eyes for a second, before smirking lightly and regaining his stance, this time of offensive nature. "The same to you as well…Jessica!" He actually looks like he's having fun right now, and you got to admit yourself, that this battle is more exciting than anything to you!

So, for everything I promised…

For Loeyur…

For all those that need MY Help!

" **I won't back down! / Give it your best shot!"**

We both charged at each other, but this time I felt more focused that ever before. I could hear my sword striking his own weapon, I could see the counter-attacks coming from all sides, I could feel my own magic pulsating through my body, I could hear my own voice as I screamed out on every strong swing I have taken, and I could smell my own hard works' sweat while having a faint hint of copper in the air…

Is that how a real fight actually feels like?

We both clashed at the same time, causing our weapons to lock with one another, although I was using my own body's weight to press against the stick. And in that one lock…

"Ha Ha Ha!"

'Yorc must have been surprised, but I was really enjoying this to the fullest! Because this was happening! This wasn't fiction anymore, this is my reality!

"Say Jessica…why are you laughing?" It took me only four words to explain it. And I will never forget those:

"Because THIS is **REAL!** "

He instantly grew a smile on his face as he backed down from this exchange and readied himself instantly. "I'm glad…that you enjoy this as much as I do!"

I smiled fondly at him as I got ready again, and this time…

"Prepare yourself, **Yorc!** "

I'd give it my all.

...

 _(Stop playing 'Two Steps from Hell – United We Stand Divided We Fall' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): And well Ladies and Gentlemen, this is my way to show you that I'm still alive… now that I'm back, I might be more responsive to other comments and etc. but we'll see._

 _So for tonight, and because I'm tired as hell…_

 _The Sir's out! (I'M BACK BABY!)_


	7. Beginning beyond Doubt

_Well, the last Chapter has been left off at a pretty evil cliffhanger but I couldn't fit the entire battle in a single Chapter, so today you'll receive the second half of Jessica Layna vs 'Second-in-command' Swordfighter Yorc!_

Sietta: "Meh, considering that we only saw the first half I expect a rather flashy end!"

 _Uhm, nothing personal Sietta, but I'd like to write the story how I see it fit, alright?_

Sietta: "Yeah, I understand and I won't judge you for it or anything but…I just wish that something awesome would happen here…"

 _*Spectates the game of chess between 'G' and Lucifer with Sietta*_

 _Okay, I must admit that it looks pretty-_

'G' & Lucifer: "No talking from the side-lines (please)."

Sietta: *Sigh* "Okay, fine! First I'd like to know why both of you aren't talking while playing!"

Lucifer: *Gives a side-glance to both of us* "You wouldn't understand the importance of this game anyways, Miss. And you Mister certainly don't understand that two great minds don't need verbal responses to communicate with one another, isn't that right Garrison~?"

'G': "He is…right. So please, stop interfering before I have to throw both of you out."

Sietta: "Alright, we'll stay put! Just-!" *Eyes open wide, before becoming a glare* "What. Did you. Just **. Call me**?"

' _OH CRAP! I NEED TO DEFUSE THIS REALLY FAST!' Wait, Sietta! *Puts arm around her shoulders* We don't n-need to act like that now, right? Didn't you just said that we'll not cause any trouble to those two?_

Sietta: *Glares for a few seconds before sighing* "Alright, fine…but if he calls me that again, **then** …"

 _*Yelps* Alright! Alright! I think he got the message! Let's just do something else and enjoy the day, w-what do you say?_

Sietta: "…Fine. Just don't expect me to behave like a 'proper' lady!" *Walks towards the 'exit' (?)"

 _Don't worry, I don't! *Turns around to look at 'G'* *Mouths to him* …you owe me for that one. *Runs after Sietta*_

Lucifer: *Chuckles* "My, what an impulsive individual. She reminds me of a certain colleague of yours, doesn't she?"

'G': "…As much as I'd like to question you about your knowledge of Hana, I agree with you there. Now…"

*Stares at the audience*

'G': "MrFiretank does not own 'Fairy Tail' or its characters. As stated before, he only owns his OCs (Us) and his story 'Daylight's End'. That'll be all, right…Lucifer?"

Lucifer: "Didn't MrFiretank always say something along the lines of 'rolling the next Chapter'?"

'G': "Yes, that. Now, if you may leave us in privacy…" *Grabs cord out of nowhere*

Lucifer: "Until our next…meeting~." *Curtain closes*

…

 **CHAPTER 7 – BEGINNING BEYOND DOUBT**

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Two Steps From Hell – To Glory')_

'I've certainly underestimated this girl…' Yorc tried to strike at her again with a stabbing attack, only to get his attack deflected sideways by Jessica, who is looking more determined and focused now. He pulled away when she prepared a counter-attack, but kept his nerves at ease.

'She may not have had real combat experience before, but…' This time the girl actually rushed at him, which left him with a raised eyebrow as he blocked the frontal swing of hers. He managed to keep her in a lock between his now damaged 'practice sword' and her own weapon. It looked like a sword of great weight, so he was unsure of the girl's decision to swing it with only one hand.

"Don't think I'm done just yet!" During the lock, the girl disappeared before him, and then tried to slash at him from behind, but he felt her presence and didn't only block it, but Yorc also managed to fling the girl back by taking his stick with both hands and then pushed it away from his body to shove her away.

'Her determination is admirable, even when she knows that I'm much more skilled than her…' Jessica recovered fast and now stood back firmly on her feet, sword angled evenly before her with one hand. She was starting to lose stamina, as she was breathing slightly heavier now.

'Her creativity makes her much more dangerous in this fight. And she seems to possess a sharp intellect, which only adds up to her own strength…' She seemed to think of something as she lowered her sword before charging at him again, but this time her sword was pulled back for a strong vertical swing.

"I am not weak, and I'll prove it to everybody to help them!" Instead of charging further, she jumped mid-dash and changed her sword's position above her head. Quickly he had set up his own block but was surprised when she changed her stance again.

'Crap! This...is bad!' Before she even brought down her sword, she actually landed before him and crouched while charging a rotational slash. Yorc's own fighting weapon was still above his head when realizing his mistake, so he did a quick jump away from her sword's range.

'She certainly doesn't play around, she actually tries to go in for a killing blow!' Unfortunately he lost his footing for a second, which almost caused him to trip on the landing. He could hear the audience gasp again, and saw their shocked faces from the corner of his view, which variated for a few degrees on their own…mostly because Sierra and Lindheim managed to mask their own emotions.

'This Girl, whom I believed to be just like any beginner, has a mind as sharp as my sword, a heart made of gold and possesses such determination, that she faces me hit after hit without a trace of fear in her eyes…' Now pointing her sword again at Yorc, she kept silent this time, while sporting her own variation of a determined glare.

'She is truly a fighter…' He grinned inwards as he now let out a war-cry of his own while dashing at her with his full speed, which made his opponent lost his cool, if just for the fraction of a second.

'It's been so long that I had a true battle like this…alright. Time to take off the gloves.'

"And now, let's get serious!"

* * *

I was starting to feel lightly drowsy, due to me going all-out. And now that my adrenaline is wearing off, I can't properly focus anymore. This is bad! Also, now that Yorc takes the situation as a 'real' fight from now on, I could tell that I'd not have a pleasant time.

He dashed directly at me like the other times, but now he was way faster than before! He really goes all-out! I just managed to block his straight swing in time, but my arms are aching! And not forgetting that I have a really hard time holding this lock…

'Gkkk! He uses much more strength than before!' I had gotten a clue of his true power when he shoved me away in my attempt to hurt him before. That caused me to re-evaluate my former tactics. I could have tried to swing overhead before and used the momentum of my jump to knock him flat down. But-

"Don't stay too long on the defensive!" Dang it! He actually pushed me away twice now, and this time I staggered on my footing, which led me to myself flailing on my left foot while watching Yorc, who now dashed at me again!

'No no no no no NO! I can't channel my magic properly when my foot is supporting so much weight!' It was true, as of now, my magical flow became wild again as I lost focus, so I had to escape somehow on this one. If I was to get hit, then I'd probably brake a few of my bones from the sheer impact. But dodging was out of the question, since me flailing right now took away any chances of actually jumping without tumbling down to the ground! I only had one option left, and that was facing his brute strength head-on again! What can I do!? Hold on…think of something! Anything…!

*Gasp* 'Wait, I still have my second boot! When both of them contain some magical properties, then maybe I can counter him with whatever the other one can do!' I only had this one chance, so seeing as this was a do-or-die situation, I quickly forced whatever magic energy I had in my body left to flow down into my right leg, and I actually felt…something…as a response. Yet, by the time I think the channeling had finished (which was rather fast I might add, maybe just two seconds), I was still in the same position, and Yorc was already going for the swing!

"Now…counter THIS!" He was aiming for my shoulder, and if that hit connects, then I'm in for a world of pain…

Seeing as I couldn't proper use my sword fast enough to block or dodge his strike, I did the only logical thing that every panicking person would do…

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST - Stardust Crusaders')_

…I kicked with my right foot, seeing as it was already in front of him…

"GAH!" …and not only did I manage to hit him back once…

…or twice…

…I suddenly seemed to kick him so fast, that a literal flurry of pure awesomeness was before my eyes. Every individual kick seemed to connect…with his torso, his arms, legs and even one square in his face, which not only caused…quite a bit of damage to him as I was finished (not enough for me to win the battle), but…fling **him** backwards…

…

…I…

…what…

… **HOW** …!?

* * *

On a small screen in an already filled bar, you could see men and women cheer at the transmission of Jessica fighting the now actually visibly hurt Yorc, who seemed to save himself from falling to the ground at the last second.

All the people visiting this place had some sort of white clothing on them, which seemed to come from every possible era of time. Some of them had a halo on them, while others had a pair of stunningly beautiful white wings on their back, and even less had both. This was a local bar that proved as a meeting place for all workers of heaven, regardless of their occupation. It was rumored that even the chairman of heaven came here from time to time, resulting in this place's publicity.

Sitting on a barstool was a woman with short, strawberry-blonde hair and a mug of beer in the air, as she was cheering for her 'Jessie'. She had watched the entire fight and even was aware of the situation in the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern', but she had no doubts that the girl on-screen was capable of winning her fights. After all, she gave her the literal strength to do so.

"WOO HOO! COME ON JESSIE! CUT THIS NOOB INTO TINY PIECES!" Although there was quite a commotion going on, Hana was without a doubt the loudest entity in this place. The others didn't seem to mind it, as they always tolerated her and her antics. In the background, you could see two men (both sporting wings and medieval clothing) that were lost in conversation while watching the small screen in the front.

"Wow, that girl sure is a force to be reckoned with. What do you think…will she actually win this?" The right guy seemed optimistic, even though he started watching her for only the last minute or so.

"Hmmm…I say she won't. Loser buys the winner a beer?" The left guy wasn't like his friend. He had his doubts, after all, she was only a girl…and her opponent was a skilled warrior as well.

"Wait! I'm in! A whole round for the bar paid by you two if she wins this!" Hana, of course, overhearing their conversation decided to get herself a free drink from these two guys, after all, she believed wholeheartedly that Jessica would win!

"Well, what do you say Marsh? You want to bet with me against her?" The right guy watched his friend, although he knew the answer already…

"Me having a chance to finally win a bet against Hana of all workers up here!? Count me in Dre!" Both of them nodded at each other while resuming to watching both of the fighters go at it. Meanwhile, the whole bar was cheering from excitement while some of them rooted for their favored one.

"Come on girl! You can beat this guy with ease!"

"Yo, dude! Show that chick her place!"

"GO JESSIE! Make me and 'G' proud!"

No matter the outcome, they were all supporting this fight, plus they'd get free beer in both cases!

* * *

By now even a few of the village-watchers we're rooting for the challenger that appeared in Loeyur a few days ago and already won their respect.

"3 minutes and 15 seconds left on the clock, kid! Come on, hang in there!" Trecht was supposed to stay on neutral ground, but seeing somebody like Yorc having trouble in a fight proved as quite a show. He was already fond of the new mage (not like THAT! But as a good friend.) since their first meeting, but the last hours so far proved to him that she could give the skilled fighter a run for his money. 'Just a little bit more, kid! You pushed him on his last ropes!'

To say that Sietta and Lindheim had respect for the girl was now an understatement. They were both aware of the girl using magic, and they even informed themselves of her exact abilities, but…this was certainly new, and judging from the girl's expression, she was unaware of this as well. They knew that her boots had the capabilities for using Holder Magic in them, but they only heard about her 'short-ranged teleportation'-spell. To be able to use not only deal that much damaged with her leg (given her stature), but attacking so fast, that not even Sietta could keep up with them reasoned their feelings for this formidable mage.

* * *

Yorc had to hand it to his opponent. She caught him off-guard more times then he'd like to count, and now he was injured…to say that her techniques are not surprising would sound like an insult to his ears.

'That last attack got me good…and both of my arms had been close to breaking from the sheer pace!' It was true, his arms seemed fine from the outside, but they started to ache more than usual. Should she manage to hit him even a single time by this point…then he'd not be sure if he could keep fighting.

'I can't let her attack at such a velocity again…' Or else…he didn't want to imagine the outcome of such an injury…

* * *

Okay…I'm calm now…NO, I'm not!

I not only attacked him back but also figured out the other ability for my magical boots! And given its name 'Storm', it literally allowed me to unleash one onto Yorc, but consisting out of my own magic-amplified kicks!

'It seems like the spell amplified not only my speed and precision but also powered up my strength! And the best of all, my leg is not tired after that overkill, like I never actually used it there!' This…this is amazing! Not only have I unlocked both powers for my footwear, but I actually have a real winning chance!

Eyeing Yorc, I could see a small twitch from his body…his arm must have taken the most damage since most of my kicks met their mark on them. I could try to hit them again, then maybe I'd win to due him sustaining too much damage!

'Alright, just one more hit should do the trick!' But there was a slight problem. I caught Yorc off-guard so often, that he probably has a 'Plan B' for every move I could come up with by now. In order for me to get him one more time like that, I'd have to do a move so irrational, so weird and unorthodox, that he can't prepare a counter in any case…what would there be left? Hm…

If my sword had more range, then maybe I had more ideas…

…more…range…!

That's it!

'It's my only plan left in action…for a normal person, this would seem nuts…but…' I gave a small glance to Trecht who instantly got my message and checked the time left.

Seeing as his eyes went wide from shock and anticipation, I have not a lot of time left. Truth be told, my entire body seemed to ache by this point, and even standing became a difficult task at this point. In other words…

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Assassination Classroom Soundtrack – Nakama no Tame ni')_

'… **This** will be my last attack.'

"You only got 1 minute and 7 seconds left, kid! Get a move on or you'll lose!" Perfect…I am in a tight spot now…I have barely any magic reserves OR stamina left, and the remaining time-limit could cost me this entire match. I waited a few seconds, maybe longer before I actually put my plan into reality.

Fortunately, Yorc seemed also on the edge of his power, so I had to act quickly now.

Instead of attacking with a pre-planned attack, I ran straight at him while holding my blade in front of me like in the common stance position, so he couldn't read my attack straight away. As I was close to the striking distance I switched the sword's position to behind my back while holding my right leg before me and did a little leap with the other one.

"30 Seconds, kid!"

Yorc seemed to have anticipated such a move, as he tried to jump away while holding his wooden stick above him. For anyone normal, this would be the end of the attack, but I had my plan unfolding perfectly this time...

'NOW!'

Instead of stopping right there, I did a move that no sane swordfighter would have expected…

With all my might I threw the only weapon I had straight at him…while he was mid-air and holding the weapon at the wrong angle!

And…

*Slash*

…*Thud* *Ka-Klang*…!

I…

...

I…did it…

...

I actually did it…

...

I…

"I'VE WON! YEAH! WOO HOO!"

* * *

Not everybody would have expected this outcome…nobody being part of the audience had said a word until Jessica Layna, the only mage outside of 'Full Blood' being here in Loeyur started to celebrate on the spot…and the reason for it?

Her opponent, Swordfighter Yorc wasn't standing on his feet anymore…when the girl threw her sword and surprised everyone, her enemy couldn't manage to block this weird attack in time. That caused him to get injured from her sword's blade on the right arm that didn't look too good to others.

But what was the bigger shock was the result of the attack. He couldn't manage to land properly, since in a last resort attempt he tried to twist his upper body away from her sword, which ended in him falling on his back…and he stayed like that for a few more moments.

Sietta was stuttering, trying to formulate a proper sentence…and failing quite miserably.

"T-the w-winner of t-this f-fight is…M-Mage Jessica…"

* * *

Everyone at the 'Heaven Bar' cheered at the given result and broke out with screams of joy and happiness for the girl. They held their glasses up in the air and started partying for no whatever reason (But this is a bar we're talking about, so just enjoy your stay here!), and they all tuned in immediately.

"She did it!"

"Nice one!"

"And you know what that means!"

A few guests now looked at the pair in the back who had betted against the girl's win, and both of them sighed before putting on a small smile.

"Well, Dre…you want to do the honors?" He turned to his Friend Marsh, which just nodded before jumping onto their table and shouting out:

"FREE BEER FOR EVERYONE, OUR TREAT!"

The rest of the guests could have jumped from joy, and a few ones even did so. But surprisingly, one entity stayed more silent then the rest, while watching the screen where the girl was already done with her celebration and walked up to her opponent.

'Nicely done, Jessie. I knew you had it in you, but seeing you in action is just much more believable…'

Hana decided to let the girl have her privacy by jumping onto the bar itself while calling out to everyone else.

"Now, let's all party everybody!"

"YEAH!" / "CHEERS!" / "CELEBRATING-PARTY!"

* * *

 _(Stop playing 'Assassination Classroom Soundtrack – Nakama no Tame ni' if you've played it)_

Lindheim couldn't believe his own eyes right now, the female mage that he only knew personally since yesterday just achieved a huge feat by not only winning, but by also injuring Yorc that heavily...

He managed to snap out of his shock as the first person, as he decided to congratulate both of them for their respective commitment to this battle. Lindheim just arrived in the middle of the room when Jessica did the same. They both gave a silent stare at each other, before she cracked a lob-sided smile as they looked at Yorc, who had his eyes closed while lying on the ground.

They both extended a hand to the injured man, and when Yorc felt their presence get closer he opened his eyes and rose an eyebrow while silently taking their help.

When he got back to both of his feet, everyone looked towards Lindheim as he spoke up.

"My child…I think I'd speak for everyone present here when I say that this battle was truly a sight to admire. You've both showed great will-power and strength respectively…but it seems that you have had the upper hand in this result."

A few of them started clapping as they cheered for the winner, while Jessica had a slight blush on her face forming. She tried to hide it by turning away…only to slip and start falling towards the ground…

* * *

'Oh man, I forgot that I'm literally drained out!' When I was falling from my own stupidity, I got caught by a strong hand mid-way, and I turned my head to see Yorc who gave me a small smile.

"I look forward to fighting along-side you…Jessica." Yep, so say that my blush didn't get worse at the moment is an understatement. Luckily I got saved by an angel in the form of a ponytail-redhead.

"Alright, let's get you two to the infirmary so you can rest up! Tomorrow we have a big deal ahead of us, so don't waste any time, or else I'll watch over you!" Some of the village-watchers were pailing while others gave me a silent motion of their hand over their neck, as if they've spoken from experience…

...I don't know if I should feel reassured or disturbed by that…

"Well then you two, let's get a move on, and here kid!" Wait, since when was I hanging from Trecht's shoulder? What are you doing to me!? 'Let me go, or else I'll die from embarrassment!'

I tried to give a silent plea for help towards the probably only sane person in my sight, that one being Lindheim who followed us out of the conference hall…only to get a small chuckle from him while I was shocked at the old man's reaction.

'He's actually enjoying my situation!? What!?'

I just tried to struggle my way out of his grip, but I failed miserably and gave up while letting my demise walk away with me…

"We both know that you're physically done for, kid. So, time for you to go to bed!" …

...Okay, screw silence.

"Help, ANYONE, PLEASE!"

And we then walked out of the hall while I gave loud cries out of embarrassment.

* * *

Yorc stood on the same spot as the last 2 minutes, while he watched the kid get carried away by the local brewer. He still wasn't sure if this battle was actually real, of if this was his hopes becoming reality.

'That girl...I'm sure she will achieve more victories like this one in the future...maybe I can challange her one day again?'

"That girl really did a number on ya, huh Yorc?" His boss and partner Sietta just walked up to him while having a melancholic smile on her face. He gave a small nod before he let her continue speaking.

"We both knew that the day would come where you'd lose eventually to someone…but that a girlie wimp like her would do that…truly a shock to all of us!" Yorc wanted to argue with her, and say that she wasn't as weak as she looked before the fight, but she had a bigger question on her mind…

"So why…?" Yorc gave her a look that asked for more details, so she complied.

"We both know that you're stronger than me. Heck, you even trained me and taught me everything I know about combat! You even become bored when we actually spar with one another! And don't give me any excuses, I saw that look on your face. You've had real fun in this battle for a long time. So…why are you still letting me lead those pea-brains?" Her eyes closed in distraught while she was focusing for…something. You could even see tears in the corner of her eyes rising to the surface...

He was thinking for a few moments...gathering his thoughts, before speaking up.

"You lead with leadership…not with power…" He walked towards the door that leads to the main corridor of the town hall, but stopped mid-way to glance at his boss who was left shell-shocked at his exclamation, and he spoke up one last time before going outside of conference hall, that was supposed to be cleaned up by rest of the village-watchers by the end this day.

"…and you're far better in this than me anyways."

* * *

Sietta saw her closest companion walk outside and still stared at the wooden door in thought.

"Leadership…Power…" She then chucked silently with the same sad smile on her face while looking on the ground. 'You sure have the best advice for everyone prepared…Yorcin…'

"Uhm, Miss Sietta? Should we clean up the hall now?" The leader turned around, only to see her men staring at her…before pailing all at once when they realized what their speaker just said.

"... **Can you repeat…what you just said, men?"** The deadly aura that appeared outside her was enough to left the man quivering in their boots. One courageous soul tried to speak up…

"We-we're s-sorry for-"…Only to receive the other end of her favorite trident in his face, seeing as he committed the mistake.

" **Clean up this mess in 20 minutes or else I'll have your head on a pike, CAPICHE!?"**

"YES! RIGHT AWAY MISS- I MEAN MA'AM-I MEAN-"

" **SHUT UP ALREADY OR YOU CAN ALL TAKE YOUR HOLIDAYS IN THE INFANTRY!"**

"AAAHHHHH! WE'RE SORRY!"

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): And that Ladies and Gentlemen is why you never anger a woman like that!_

Hana: "I still can't comprehend why she gets so mad about such a thing." *Chuckles* "For me, that'd me more hilarious that angering!"

 _Okay, I can understand why…I mean, you and 'Miss' in one proper sentence would sound weird._

Hana: "Well, 'G' is the only person who does that, so you're right! Anyways, how was watching him play that board-game for kids?"

… _You're lucky he didn't hear that. Also, a bit boring, if not intense for the two of them- hold on! How do you know that Lucifer is in his office and that they're playing chess!?_

Hana: "I may or may not have gathered certain tools to inform myself around him~!"

 _You put spy cameras all across his office, didn't you…?_

Hana: *Grins* "Yep!"

 _...Alright then, and with this latest sensation, I wish all of you lovely readers a good day, and until next time…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	8. Many Ways, Our's ahead

_Alright everyone, welcome back to the next Chapter for 'Daylight's End'! It makes me happy to see that people actually have interest in reading this, even though it's-_

Hana: "A pretty bad fanfiction with grammatical errors?"

Sietta: "Your first (and so far only) fanfiction ever written?"

Yorc: "…So far…only made up of us (the OC's)?"

Trecht: "Lacking quality-"

 _OKAY! I think the audience got it already! Could you stop joking now!?_

Everyone: *Shrugs*

 _*Inhale*…*Exhale* Thank you. Now! Before we roll to the disclaimer and skip the "Reviews' Corner" (And yes, I just called it that. If you have a better title for that part, feel free to write me your ideas!) I'd like to tell you that right now, I am having my summer-break. While it's keeping up, I am able to write the individual Chapters for this story at a pretty fast pace._

Yorc: "…So if you're back in school…there'll be less content?"

 _Bingo! And I'll say this in advance to avoid a situation similar as last time which I am still sorry for. If you're not aware of what actually happened, just read 'Chapter 6: A Watcher's Challenge' (No, I'm not doing this to gain extra views or etc. but I don't feel like repeating it once again. Sorry!)_

Trecht: "Okay, I think we got it already. Could you stop apologizing, kid?"

…

Everyone else: "…"

… _Well played._

Trecht: *Bows* "At your service~." *Smirks*

Hana: "Alright! So, since we got no new reviews, we'll skip that part entirely, so the only thing left to do is the disclaimer!"

Sietta: "Hmmm…Yorc! You think you can do the disclaimer for us, because MrFiretank seems pretty out of it."

 _*Sulks in corner* …What did I do to deserve this…?_

Everyone else: *Raises eyebrow*

Hana: "Yea, he's done for this one."

Yorc: *Sigh* *Nods* *Turns to the audience and stares* "…He only owns his OCs…and 'Daylight's End…"

Hana: "Good, about time! Now that we're done, I'll have a little shopping trip for now! Fire, you come with me~!" *Grabs Fire by his cloak's hood*

… _Roll the…next Chapter…*Sulks*_

…

 **CHAPTER 8 – MANY WAYS, OUR'S AHEAD**

* * *

After me and Yorc got into the Infirmary, we got checked by a pair of doctors. They actually were father and son and treated quite a lot of patients together for over a decade. We both ate properly, because our battle ended during afternoon, and I had to hand to them. For being a trading village, the cuisine of Loeyur left no preferences ignored! 'This was the best steak I ate in my…both of my entire lives.'

Once we finished, two of the village-watchers took our plates and cutlery to…somewhere, before starting with our medical conditions (finally). Since Yorc sustained the most injuries, he got treated first. During this, his son was taking a better look at my "injuries".

The dude itself didn't look older than 20 and had the looks of a teen idol. He had pretty clean, moss-green…hair? Yea, its anime logic, don't request it. He also wore a grey shirt and brown jeans under a doctor's coat with a pair of rather stylish glasses hanging from his breast pocket.

"Well…" *Writes notes* "You didn't sustain any real physical injuries, besides some minor bruises that formed on your forearms and one on your forehead. Luckily you didn't suffer from a concussion afterwards. But there is something more worrying…"

'Uh oh.' I wasn't a real doctor of course or never had a first aid course, but even someone as young as me could tell that there's trouble if it doesn't involve my physical condition.

"Before I tell you what's wrong, I'd like to ask you a small question. Do you have some experience with the usage of your own magic? Or to phrase it different…Since when did you start using it?" Yep, this bad! Nobody knew of my first life or of who I was before I arrived in Earth Land, and now there was this random doctor who suddenly got a clue to probably the biggest secret I keep!? Defiantly screwed!

'I need to think of an excuse, something! I can't use the 'I have amnesia' excuse, since this one is literally abused by everyone! Uhm…maybe I can stay vague, so they don't find out more about me for now!'

"Uhm, I...haven't used my magic for…a while. As you can see, I use…my boots! Yes, m-my boots for magic! B-but I bought them not too long ago…y-yeah."

That caused the doctor to raise a non-existing eyebrow at my not-so-solid answer, but he seemed to accept it, as he didn't pry more about it. 'Crisis averted! Phew.'

"Okay…? Well, the problem is this. Even though your magical abilities were impressive on themselves, according to Major Lindheim-" I'll take that as compliment. "-your magic capacity seems to not match your current age. That resulted in you burning up almost all of your magic inside you. Are you aware of the symptoms from total magic exhaustion, perhaps?"

I never knew the detailed results of draining your entire magic pool at once, but given this guy's grim expression and deep tone of this subject, I should be glad to not have reached this point…

"Well, I'm glad that you're here now. Besides, even with you having no energy left at this moment there is a benefit from this situation." Wait, there actually is another one? "Since your reserves have been drained to almost zero, they'll start to refill over the course of time. Given the proper rest, that is. Now, since they are so small at this point, they'll not only grow by each passing hour while recharging, but you'll also regenerate your magic at a faster rate in the future. Not by much, but every bit helps." Well, that information will defiantly prove as helpful! So besides training my magical capacity over meditating, I can get stronger by doing abnormal things all day? Awesome…

While I was lost in my own thoughts, I missed how Yorc (who now had a bandage around his right arm where I injured him and sported a miniscule scar on said side's cheek) and the doctor's father walked back into where I was stationed at.

"Don't forget Yorc! Stay in bed for today and don't strain your arms too much. Doctor's orders." The pretty old man wore the exact same clothes as his son, but there were a few differences besides age. His glasses were on his nose while he was also…bald. 'It **really** looks like…a bowling ball. Childhood cartoons, you didn't left me hanging for this one, huh?' He also sported a fine looking goatee, which actually went down to mid-waist, which was impressive on itself.

"…I will. Thank you…" Yorc walked to the other only free bed beside me while silently greeting me with a small nod and laid his sword (sheath included) besides the edge of his bed, before proceeding to take a nap for now. It was a funny sight, actually. One of the strongest fighters of this town that speaks close to nothing outside of the heat of battle just dozes of like a 4-year old. I wanted to take a picture of this with my phone, but now was not the time since the older of the two doctors called me to his room.

"You're up, Jessica. Now, don't forget about what we just talked. I'd suggest that you train with your magic at a steady pace, or else you'll be worse for wear in the next real fight." The younger doctor stood up from his tiny stool beside my bed while walking to the Infirmary's exit. 'Seems like he had plans before we two showed up.'

With attention now on me, I got out of my temporary bed and walked to the other doctor for a quick look at my bruises. And afterwards…I think I'll just…*yawn*…sleep.

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Johnny Mercer & Joseph Kosma – AUTUMN LEAVES')_

After the big spontaneous celebration most of the guests in 'Heaven Bar' either left, decided to sleep on their seat or just collapsed due to getting drunk. Currently it was deadly silent, besides two entities at the front of the bar itself. One of them being Hana herself, who was ranting to the owner of the bar.

The man sported a grey waistcoat with a white shirt, black pants and…red colored, heart-shaped glasses with crimson hair. He was currently watching a random show on the bar's small television, which was fixed on the ceiling. But he still listened intently to his favorite customer.

"I mean, he always sits in his office, filling out those stupid forms while I try to brighten his day! I just wished that 'G' would sometimes take a day or two off for leisure…but no! He always says to me 'Hana, if you aren't ready to do your amount of work yourself then one of us has to do it.' I mean yeah, I get it! But he isn't forced to do this stuff for me!"

During her small speech, the door of the local opened, and in came the probably rarest customer of this place. He sat down besides Hana on the bar stool to her right while looking to the bartender.

"One scotch, on the rocks. And another beer for her." The customer was no other than 'G' himself, who gave a silent stare to the man in front of him that said more then enough. The bartender received his silent message, so he served both of them their drinks, before walking closer to his television while turning up the volume so the both of them had their privacy.

Hana, who already calmed down after seeing her boss / friend sitting beside her took the beer while speaking up. "Well, why are you buying me this? You're not trying to hit on me, eh 'G'~?

Said man already felt a migraine coming, so he rested his head in his left hand after taking a sip from the precious whisky. "No…nothing like that." After he sighed he elaborated, seeing as his close colleague had no idea of that friendly turn. "But I have a feeling that I'd get a free day from your antics for that."

The guardian angel could relate with him, actually. She was always energetic and tried to speak with every person, but often failed when attempting to turn his bossy friend's frown upside-down. On rare occasions he would crack a smile, and when that happened…

Well, let's just say that Hana was known as a regular customer in 'Heaven Bar' after the first time it happened.

Both of these entities sat in comfortable silence, which was broken when Hana tried to break the ice about today's events. "Well, since you're here, I guess you already heard about what Jessie did down there?"

Her friend nodded before giving his own thoughts. "I must say, for living such a…common life for over a decade she surely had more skill hidden in her than I expected. I think we made the right decision with sending her into that world."

The strawberry-blond could only give a lopsided smile, which turned ever so slightly into a frown when she was thinking of…'G's…visitor. The man involved only noticed her happy façade slowly crumbling down, so he tried to elaborate about the situation.

"If you're thinking about what happened today, then don't worry. I managed to turn the tides and win our bet. Sadly, he is as mischievous as he is smart. He dodged my question, so we're only left with a vague guess of what he wants from her."

 _(Pause 'Johnny Mercer & Joseph Kosma – AUTUMN LEAVES' if you've played it)_

* * *

The two most powerful beings sat before one another while staring at the result of their game. The chairman of Heaven had his queen, two rooks, one knight and his king left. Lucifer on the other hand…

"…Well, you certainly don't disappoint, Garrison." He was down to only one bishop and his own king, who was in a very indelicate position. It was trapped between the two rooks, and given that 'G's own queen was left on the field…

"…Checkmate." It didn't take the chairman long, before he put the final nail on the coffin. It surprised him that his enemy didn't try to cheat on a bigger scale…he knew that Lucifer was capable of doing this. But that didn't matter at this point. Now he could finally release a small gasp of relief. 'That took too much from my nerves. Luckily that means he won't show up for a while after this."

Hell's ruler silently stood up, dusted of his jacket and faked a smile to his arch-nemesis, before turning around in an attempt to leave as fast as possible. He spoke up while retreating, but 'G' had another thought in mind. "This was certainly a…surprising game Garrison. Until our next-"

"Wait."

Without turning around, Lucifer stopped just before he was ready to travel back into his own realm. Even without his facial expression visible, you could see that he was starting to become frustrated. "What is it that you still want to bore me with, Garrison?"

'G' was done playing around…he won their bet, so he wanted to claim his winnings on the spot. "We had our bet…remember? So I'd like to at least have that."

Since his rival stood silently on the spot, he took this as a sign to continue. And there was only one question bugging him at this point:

"…What do you want with the reincarnated girl?"

Given the questions' short nature, Lucifer could have just said 'something...'. But…he didn't feel like being such a huge trickster. He respected his…'entertainment partner' to an extent. So he decided, that he'd give the winner the prize he at least wished for.

With that decided, he started answering while resuming to walk forward. "That girl…certainly peeks my interest. We both know that you don't just allow anybody a second chance. Thus she must be…special. I don't care whatever she did before this…but you always spot someone's potential if they possess it."

Just before he warped back, he turned towards the confused chairman once again, as he finished his answer while sporting a shit-eating grin that would have made a certain demon-butler proud. "For now, nothing in particular. I'll hold my curiosity back…until things get more…worthwhile. Until next time, Garrison~."

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, resume playing from 'Johnny Mercer & Joseph Kosma – AUTUMN LEAVES')_

"Dammit, just when you had him…well, at least you'll have some peace for now on! And don't worry…I'll let you have a free day from myself! But don't expect afterwards to stay in your office alone all day like a nerd~!"

The exhausted head of heaven turned his head way in thought…but he tried to fight the urge to crack a small smile. Mind you, when he smiled most of the time, it was a faked one for acquaintances and associates, but very rarely he would cave in and just smile. And the only one who always managed to do so was no other than the guardian angel besides him.

'Damn…I'm growing sentimental because of her…' After his inner turmoil settled down, he saw Hana standing up and stretching while smiling brightly.

"Well, since I can't bug you tomorrow, I guess I'll hit the hay early so I can visit some friends of mine. Basically speaking, everybody else! Alright then, have a good night 'G' and don't do anything stupid tomorrow, I'll know about that faster than the archangels can fly~!" With that, she walked towards the exit while giving a lazy wave over her head.

'G' was looking at probably his (and he didn't want to admit this) only true friend in heaven walking away. While trailing down this special lane of thoughts, he gave up on resisting. His face now sported a small smile after taking another sip from his scotch.

'Maybe…*sigh*…maybe I should do her something nice, besides cleaning up behind her messes…' He looked at his watch to realize that it was almost past midnight.

'Well, the bar was opened until 3 AM anyways…I might as well enjoy the silence while it lasts…' He would have usually stayed in his office for that…but…it wasn't the same as there…something was missing.

'Oh Hana…I'm really growing attached to you all, aren't I?'

 _(Stop playing '_ _Johnny Mercer & Joseph Kosma – AUTUMN LEAVES' if you've played it)  
_

* * *

After a good night of sleep I was currently sitting in the major's office with a cup of warm chocolate in my hands. 'Ahhh…every sip makes me feel calmer than before~!'

Besides the Major himself (who was seated behind his desk) there were also Yorc, Trecht and Sietta who were kept in an important discussion.

"Now that we finally have a general idea of their hideout, we can prepare my carriages for the journey. We'll need one to two days to travel to the marked position anyways." Trecht was the one who spoke the most beside Sietta and Lindheim, while I was just enjoying the chocolate-like goodness of my beverage while Yorc (who seated himself besides me) was just…Yorc as usual. Also, the plan was already discussed by Lindheim and Sietta yesterday while I was resting.

To spare you all the boring details, this is the plan: 'Full Blood' has a hide-out within this region if you go south, to the so called 'Colossus Mountain'. So we (Me, Trecht, Sietta & Yorc plus the village-watchers under their command) will travel to a spot before their position. Then, in the cover of night we'll storm the place and liberate the village for good. Also, if they should have any of the stolen goods left, then we'll carry those back with the help of Trecht's carriages to Loeyur. Once we return, all the stuff will be evenly split between the villagers and anything left will be used for repairs.

When they asked for my share of the recoverable goods, I just politely declined and said: "I don't need anything more! Just get enough for the town so the village is on its own legs again." I gave a nervous chuckle while saying that, so this statement didn't have much influence.

But what was weird though was the stare which Sietta gave me after I tried to hide my own embarrassment. She was the only who wasn't listening to the planning that moment, but it seemed like she was thinking of something. 'Whatever it is, I not sure if she got something good planned'.

Back to the plan! During our ambush, there'll be two teams out of 12 people, while 2 of them take the lead in each team. Sietta and I will lead the front-charge, while Yorc and Trecht will make sure that none of us die out there. 'Not like **I** had any experience with death…'

"Alright, then we should be ready for our trip as early as possible! Since we don't have much time to waste, we'll start traveling by noon. Any objections?" Since everything was already discussed and that it was Sietta who asked the question…well, everyone stayed as silent as possible. "Good! Then you all have an hour left to prepare from now on! Since Jessica and Yorc are still partially injured-"

'Wait, that's not true! Only Yorc has the mediocre wound on his right arm, I am mostly fine!' If I could have objected right there, I would have. But…just remembering her death stare… *Shudder*

"-they'll rest inside one of the carriages for the first day of traveling until further notice. Any objections this time?" Again, most of us just stayed shut or looked away.

Well, most of us did. Yorc actually had raised his hand, and given the expression on his stare I could tell that he also wasn't too happy about this order. Sietta stared at him, but didn't glare at him. She actually just looked annoyed. That lasted a total of approximately 5 seconds until she caved in.

"Grrrr…fine! You may alongside us if you feel like it, but I'll not carry both of your asses back should you collapse or fall down!" And with that she left the office to prepare our trip with Trecht silently following behind her. Once they were both out and the sound of Sietta throwing the door shut I gave a simple smile towards Yorc, who just shrugged and stood up.

"…I'll get my sword and provisions ready…you should do the same." And with that I was sitting alone in Lindheim's office with the man itself hastily writing down into a notebook.

Since I didn't have much time left and the inn where my bag was stationed at was quite a walk away from here, I planned to walk there before Trecht picks me up and brings me to our meeting point. Just before I was out I heard to pen of Loeyur's major stop moving, and a second after he spoke up.

"Child…" Turning around to look at him directly, I saw him with an honest smile on his face while he was tearing up a bit. Damn, this makes want to cry myself…He quickly wiped away any tears from his eyes with his sleeves before looking at me once again, but this time his smile wasn't sad. It was…full of compassion.

"Please…stay safe on your travels, and come back!" Yea…I teared up that moment, because it reminded me so much of my own father. He would always tear up from joy when I had done something important in my life. This scene just…it was a reminder of my past life. And I wasn't sad about that, because I had a new life, and for all of those that care for me I'll keep living on.

"Don't worry, I will!" To not cause the old man to try cry again, I gave him the brightest smile I could muster while showing him a thumbs-up. The smile wasn't even close to a certain man made out of rubber I knew about, but it fulfilled its purpose nonetheless. When I felt silence come over us again, I turned around to finally get my stuff packed before I forget about that.

So with that thought, I made my way to the inn…and hoped that I wasn't late.

* * *

The good part, I wasn't late. The bad part…I took me longer than expected and now I only had 10 minutes left to prepare for a 2-day trip! I was beyond screwed at the moment… 'I have to pack clothes, food, water, and other essentials and find a place to safely hide my money and electronics in!'

While I was walking into my room my eyes noticed that the door was open. So preparing for the worst I gripped the sword in my right hand tighter and quickly walked into the small abode…

…Only to see my savior inside, having placed a knapsack that looked almost full from the outside on my bed while the inn's owner was standing there with an canteen in her hand, who suddenly froze and looked like a dear caught in the headlights when she got spotted.

"D-did you do all of t-this?" Okay, I was used to people being nice to me, but when I saw her discreetly make all of this for me, I couldn't understand HOW I didn't realize it sooner that it was her work! Yea, the embarrassment was written all over my face.

All I received as an answer was a small nod from her. And judging by her current actions, she must have been the same person to silently bring my breakfast yesterday on my side table. Well…there was only one thing I could think off right now.

The old lady was probably surprised, because instead of scolding her like any regular person would have when they'd see you in your 'locked' room, I just went up to her and….hugged her…yeah, I'm a sucker for hugs, don't judge me. "Thank you for your help…you're truly a saint, do you know that?" I honestly meant that, because if it wasn't for her I'd still rush around the town in a poor attempt to get everything necessary packed.

The inn's owner tensed when I hugged her, but after the surprise she relaxed and even hugged me back. I could hear her chuckle while hugging me back. "You know, when that woman with red hair came to my inn and informed me of your travel to 'Full Blood's' hideout, I…I just felt like helping you like this could have been the least of my possibilities. I hope this'll be enough to last for you."

After that sentence I laughed while responding. "For letting me stay in your inn I'm already thankful to you. This…this is so much! I…I don't know how to repay all of you for this much kindness!"

While I tried to let my emotions calm down, the owner just pulled away and put a hand on my shoulder while answering with a worried expression. "Just make sure to not get injured while helping us…everyone here couldn't put it behind themselves if you were to get hurt."

It was understandable. After all, I had everyone's hopes and visions for their future on my shoulders. My task on itself seemed impossible. After all, I was a mage (whose skill was regular at best) who wants to go against an entire Dark Guild. And even with the villages' support, my odds could be better…

So I reassured her wishes by smiling and replied to her. "Don't worry, with the help of Loeyur's best fighters, I'll come back safe and sound!" With that I felt a calm silence wash over me…that had been broken when I realized two things…

'Not only is this my last day in her inn, but I also have no idea where my shoulder bag could be left for safe-keeping!'

And once my panicked expression returned, I again felt the old lady's hand on my shoulder as she asked: "What's wrong, my dear? Is there anything left that troubles you?" Well, she already helped me, and I figured that once she saw my expression, she wouldn't leave it alone before it was solved.

'I could only tell her my problem…and hope that I didn't abuse her kind personality.'

"Uhm, you see. I have a shoulder bag with me and there is some pretty important stuff in there. I currently need a spot where I might deposit it there for safekeeping." And just like that she silenced me with her hand before starting to walk out my room while singing to follow her.

After I grabbed both the shoulder bag and the prepared knapsack, I walked downstairs where the reception was. The owner was standing in front of a painting that showed an old-looking windmill. When I walked up to her with questioning eyes she simply grabbed the side of the painting and, after hearing a small click, pushed the hidden door open.

And behind the painting door…was a safe. A safe, that was hidden behind a painting while it looked like it went through decades of usage. The old lady simply put in the combination and then opened its door. The safe itself consisted of 4 compartments (2 small ones on the top and the other 2 with the remaining space of the safe) and looked well taken care off from the inside.

"Is that maybe what you were looking for?" I swear that in the way she looked at me there was a tiny hint of smugness hidden…or that was just my imagination. Maybe both?

Well, whatever I had in my mind got interrupted my heavy boots hitting the wooden floor as we both say Trecht who tipped his straw hat to both of us before looking at the inn's owner. "Ah, I see you did help her out there. Thank you for that ma'am."

The elder in question just chucked again with her usual closed-eyed smile while replying. "Again, as long as you all bring her back safe, I don't mind using my old bones for work…"

And with that he turned to me while pointing towards the open door where 3 carriages stopped outside. "Well, if there isn't anything else left for you to do, I guess we move out now or we'll have to run the entire way there."

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'One Piece OST – Haha, Soshite Tabidachi [Mother, Then Setting Off]')_

I had to acknowledge his wish, since everybody else will be waiting at the southern entrance soon. And I didn't want to stall this any further. So seeing as there wasn't much time left I put the shoulder bag into the hidden safe and let the inn's owner close it properly (and of course put the painting back into its place) before I gave her a quick hug.

"Don't you worry, once I'm back, everything in Loeyur will be fine then!" I then followed Trecht out of the Inn and let myself relax for now.

"Well said, kid. I'm sure we'll pull it off!" He actually put a hand around my shoulder (while almost tripping me to the ground) and spoke proudly in an excited voice. "And we'll be there with you all the way, kid!"

With that declaration we moved to the front carriage where Trecht took the driver's seat while I just sat in the carriage itself. Behind us were already two of the village-watchers (it actually was the pair that helped out in the infirmary yesterday) that took reins for the carriages (horses everybody, horses) and followed us on our way to the southern entrance. I was looking outside of the carriage to see the villagers standing before the buildings. They all either smiled, waved or even called out to us.

"Save travels, everybody!"

"Don't try to get hurt!"

"Come home soon, please!"

"Mommy, Mommy! Are these the ones you talked about?"

"Why, yes. And they are our full pride."

It was truly heartwarming to witness such compassion and trust put into us. They rooted for us and didn't even doubt their own thoughts. Was I sure that we'll liberate their village? No. Would I fight for them? Defiantly.

"Well, kid…" I looked towards Trecht, who had a smirk on his face while spectating the scene before our eyes. "It's time for us to save our Loeyur, isn't it?"

'It surely is time for- hold up. Did he actually…say that?' I knew that Loeyur was his village, but not mine…so why? "Did you actually just say…our Loeyur?"

His eyes widened for his eyes before he let out a wild laugh while closing his eyes. His laugh was contagious, so I couldn't help myself and laugh with him!

"Ha Ha! T-That was a good one, kid! I- Ha! Of course I mean it! Ha!" We both laughed for a while before he stopped and now looked at me with kind eyes. "Everyone here welcomed you into Loeyur from the moment you decided to help us. You're a part of our village, and that won't change for eternity. So…let's make them all proud, eh Jessica?"

I…I didn't even know what to say right here. They…they all accepted me just like…and I was part of their village- no, a part of their lives now. T-That…*Sniff*…

"H-Hey kid, why are you suddenly crying? I'm sorry if I said anything wrong to-"…And the moment he looked closer at my face, all regrets got silenced when I had the proudest smile I ever had flashed on my face, while tears of joy streamed like rivers down to the ground.

"T-Thank you! T-This m-means so much to me!" *Sniff* "I-I am grateful t-that you t-trust me s-so much!" I was so happy right here, it felt so good and so…right, so I my emotions let run free.

Trecht lowered his hat enough that his eyes got covered, but between all those blurry images in my own ones, I swore I saw a small tear run down his face. He quickly rubbed at his own face, before grinning proudly and declared: "Then cry it out into the crowd, kid! They are all part of your lives now, so let them know as well!"

Without much further ado I turned to the people one last time and shouted at the top of my lungs to them…

"THANK YOU FOR ACCEPTING ME, EVERYONE!"

As if their smiles couldn't get brighter, they all either laughed from joy or cried themselves. They all screamed on top of their lungs now and wished us all farewell. Yet the message was clear for everybody. 'You are always welcome here, and come back soon!' Everyone was there!

The family pair of doctors who waved at me directly…

The bartender who was shouting for my safety with his wife and child…

The two male workers that waved at me on the first minute of my arrival called out to me…

The old lady that owns the inn was somehow standing there and smiling at me from afar…

And even Mayor Lindheim was present and gave me a smile of gratitude…

Even in the future, I was sure that I'd be moved by their actions, their willingness to help, their kindness…they are all treating me as one of their own. At this day, a new hope was set in their hearts…

'And I'll do everything in my power to protect…our village…'

 _(Stop playing 'One Piece OST – Haha, Soshite Tabidachi [Mother, Then Setting Off]' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Damn, the feels-train arrived at my home! And before you say anything, I won't blame the invisible ninjas cutting onions if I start crying!_

'G': "A lot of people say that a real man doesn't cry, but…are you also a real man if you suppress your own emotions like that?"

 _Wow…that was…surprisingly wise._

'G': "I am the chairman of heaven for a reason, Fire."

 _Yea, you're right. Now, since we're here at the end-_

Hana: *Bawls her eyes out* "THIS IS TOO MUCH! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME, YOU INVISIBLE JERKS!?" *Bawls even more*

… _A_ _nd ignoring_ _that_ _, I wish all of you're a good evening / day or whatever time of the day it is for you right now! With this said,_

 _The Sir's out!_

…

…

…

 _*Proceeds to silently cry in secret*_


	9. The 'Kirin' Duo roars

_Alright, alright…before any of you say anything…I know I screwed up *Laughs nervously* As I didn't realize it, I accidently uploaded the first Chapter 'Unexpected Arrival' AGAIN instead of the actual Chapter 'Many Ways, Our's ahead'…whoops?_

Lucifer: "At least you managed to correct your error in less than a day worth of time…"

 _Yeah…for everybody who got disappointed and 'maybe' mad at me for that mistake, I deserve that. Now the correct Chapter is in its place and if you haven't read it yet, you'll be able to now do that.  
_

Lucifer: "Good to know for them, even though I would have preferred it when that Chapter wasn't live…"

 _Oh, yeah…You're still unhappy about the result with the b-_

Lucifer: *Glares* "Don't you **dare** to finish that sentence or not even the entirety of heaven may help you once I'm done with you…"

 _'AH_ _! I forgot that his glare is just as bad as Sietta's! And he's not even fully mad at me!' D-don't worry, I'll k-keep my trap shut about that!_

'G': "Give him some rest, Lucifer. After all, he has a small announcement to make before we move on to the disclaimer and start the next Chapter."

Lucifer: *Glares slightly, before sighing* "…Alright, fine. Fire, may you do the honors?"

 _Oh, yeah! *Coughs* Ladies and Gentlemen, not only are we close to the 50k and more work-mark, but we finally got 10 people to follow this fanfiction! I'm so happy that you really want to read this more and are visiting my story regularly! It's true that this doesn't sound like much, but for my first work that I ever openly published, this is a nice refresher!_

'G': "Good to also see that we can expect something close to a regular update-schedule from now on. For the duration of his summer break, you can expect regular releases for up to 3 days prior. After that (and once Fire is back to school), this will change drastically but don't be too disappointed. He will try his best to upload updates over time." *Glares* "And, should he again forget about it…"

 _Fine, I get it! But yeah, when you check in regularly, the will mostly be a new Chapter available for you all. With that out of the way, and because there aren't any new reviews-_

Lucifer: "Maybe next time. Maybe not~."

- _We will skip right to the disclaimer! 'G', it's your turn again._

'G': "Okay." *Clears throat and turns to the audience* "Any OC that appears in 'Daylight's End' and this fanfiction itself has their rights reserved by MrFiretank. Other than that, he doesn't have any rights on 'Fairy Tail' or its characters."

 _Alright, now without further ado-_

Lucifer: "We move on to the next addition to this fanfiction~."

… _Are you proud of yourself?_

Lucifer: *Grins* "Care to take a guess~?"

… _Yeah, that was stupid to ask of me. Well, like Lucifer said._

 _*Speaks mentally* Roll the next Chapter!_

'G': "I heard that."

 _...Dang, I forgot._

…

 **CHAPTER 9 – THE 'KIRIN' DUO ROARS**

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Derek Fiechter – Woodland Fairies')_

After we joined Sietta, Yorc and the other members for our travel we finally started moving towards 'Colossus Mountain' at a calm pace. Yorc, who still had the bandage around his arm kept walking in the front of us. Sietta stayed in the back and decided to keep watch at anyone who would slack off. The other members either walked alongside the carriages or decided to take the reins of them.

During the first hour we traveled I decided to get closer to the village-watchers themselves. So when I saw the pair that assisted me and Trecht in the last days, I just started talking to them.

Ulm and his 'Bro' Marko (so their official names) actually were partially in the bar when 'Full Blood' showed up on my first day in Loeyur. To their opinion, they would have ran straight at them and mopped the floor with them if I wouldn't have interfered with that plan. Ulm had visited the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' right after his shift, so his light crossbow was on him that time.

During the fight, he was so close to ignore my wishes and fire a bolt straight at 'Scarface's' visage, but his weapon slipped right out of his hands from shock when I blinked out of the guy's range.

Marko however had a night-shift that day, so he was part of the unit that took those jerks into custody. Sadly they bailed out of their cell and two of them made a run for it via. horseback before him and his team could catch them. The last guy (the one who Trecht knocked out cold) was still unconscious that time, so he was pretty down when he woke up in his cell alone.

Even though they had him still in there, Marko got punished by Sietta (and I quote, for "Letting those incompetent jerk wads out of his sight!") and got assigned to kitchen duty for that.

Fortunately, and since Ulm had been pretty good friends with him didn't want to leave him alone, he voluntarily took kitchen duty as well. There he told Marko of the latest events he witnessed and…well…they were so happy about me that they also decided to help me out.

Remember the delicious steak that I got to eat in the infirmary's bed? Turns out that these two cooked it! When they told me about it I also asked about their hobbies, and I learned that they worked part-time for a restaurant near the town hall!

They promised to make another dish for me once I would visit there, but I was supposed to tell them beforehand of the date, so they could cook it themselves. After that they told me a bit about the weeks before I got here and both commented on that. Even a few of the other watchers that eavesdropped on our conversation told their stories and comments.

Ulm and Marko got pretty down once the towns funds started to drop drastically, so they couldn't maintain their part-time jobs anymore. For them, their village was on the line. And because of this, they joined the village-watchers together.

They weren't the only ones though. Most of the people that joined their ranks had similar reasons for such decisions. They either lost their jobs, their loved ones or simply were fed up with the situation. They knew that this would be a fight for their lives once they joined, but that didn't matter. Their proud Loeyur was everything to them, and seeing it decay from the hands of a Dark Guild was too much for their pride.

After that I got slightly drowsy and was 'requested' by Sietta to take a nap in one of the carriages. These looked like in the old western movies (and thus offered coverability and privacy), so nobody would interrupt my sleep there. Since it was still miles away from our destination, I complied and used my knapsack (which even had a blanket for me in it!) as a cushion and laid myself down.

 _(Stop playing 'Derek Fiechter – Woodland Fairies' if you've played it)_

* * *

When I woke up somewhere around afternoon, I wasn't alone in there anymore. To my surprise, Yorc was leaning on the carriage's cover with his eyes closed and arms crossed. His own sword resting close to my own, which I discarded into the hands of Trecht for my nap. Seeing as his posture didn't look relaxed, I figured he wasn't actually sleeping.

'Maybe he is just meditating?' I tried to lay down again, and not interrupt whatever he was doing, but hearing a small grunt from his direction informed me about my already failed attempt…

"Uh…h-hey Yorc! H-how are you doing?" I was pretty nervous, since I may have disturbed him or so, but maybe that was just my social anxiety speaking…

'Yeah, it probably was.'

"I'm okay…It's alright…couldn't sleep anyway." He opened one eye to look directly at me, but he seemed calm right now. 'Alright, so I at least didn't interrupt him or anything.'

Well, why was he here anyways? Didn't he protest when Sietta tried to force us here? 'I wanted to make conversations with them anyways, so why not?'

"Yorc, why are you here? Uh, not that I don't appreciate you company or anything, but, uh…uh…" My question came out so wrong, that I simply gave up with correcting myself and sighed while I was still laying down.

He seemed to raise a nonexistent eyebrow at that, but didn't me about my anxiety. "…Sietta came over…and ordered me to." 'Well, that explains everything.' I was still sleepy, but I had more than enough rest, so I sat upright and stretched before proceeding to put my blanket back into my knapsack.

While I was doing this, my mind was actually focused on Yorc. I mean, he fought me already and proved his strength quite well. But what did I know about the man in question exactly? Beside his name, his current role and his strength, I was clueless about him! 'Well, maybe I can ask him a question or two, seeing as he doesn't mind to speak around me…maybe how he and Sietta met?'

"Can I…ask you a question?" Yorc turned his head to me again and gave a small grunt of allowance, so I elaborated. "How do you know Sietta so well…no, no wait. That didn't sound right, uh…rather how did you meet her in the first place?"

That seemed like a huge question for the silent man, so he closed his eyes in deep thought while I was waiting for his explanation. He was taking his time, but seeing as this must be a big topic for him, I patiently waited until he opened his eyes. And then…

"…It began 2 years ago…"

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Fullmetal Alchemist OST – Harmony' [on loop])_

The traveling swordsman was walking on a small path through the forest in the search for a town nearby. He had worked as a mercenary around the region for all kinds of clients. Elders, Authorities, Soldiers…you name it to him and he could tell you about the experience with them.

Straight ahead he saw a not too big village in the distance. Since he was looking for a place to stay for the night, he walked further ahead until he passed the entrance. He spotted a flag floating from a small pole near the town square that had 'Loeyur' sewed on it. Figuring that the village wasn't too big, he decided to explore the streets a little.

While walking around he spotted a few places, like a popular tavern that was filled to the brim with customers and visitors alike. An inn was standing proudly on the outer edges of this place, which seemed to have treated travelers quite well. Maybe he would go there later to rest for tonight…

There was also a cozy restaurant near the biggest building of Loeyur. '…Perhaps the town hall?' From the restaurant's windows he could make out two cooks that happily chatted with each other while serving their customers. The smell that was noticeable could have caused him to go there. But he didn't want to stop his little tour just yet.

There was a small trail that lead to…somewhere at the north end of the village. Since that looked like the last place he could travel to at afternoon, he wandered down the path until he came across a training field. The grass was unevenly cut and it looked like nature had already taken this place back. But what he failed to notice until now, was that he wasn't alone.

Standing on the training field was a teenage girl with a small ponytail out of cleaned, red hair. She wore short, brown pants and a dark-brown vest over a white shirt while also sporting regular boots. She was holding a wooden spear and was in an offensive stance that…well…left him deadpanning.

'…Her stature is sloppy…the weapon's positioning leaves much to correct…' He watched intently from the background as the girl charged at a tree with a war cry of her own. She managed to put a decent-sized dent into the tree, but couldn't handle the recoil from the impact. While the spear was stuck to the ground, her face met the floor and stayed there for a solid couple of seconds.

He decided to help the girl out, so he slowly walked towards the girl. As he got closer, he noticed small injures on her forearms and scrapes. Before he was in front of the girl, however, she sprung up and not looked directly at him. Her breathing was a bit rigid and she seemed to grab the spear, only to point it at…him?

"Who are you? Are you here to mock me too like the others!?" The teenager was glaring heavily at him, but he didn't move or showed any signs of reaction on his face, but rather kept a neutral expression.

"Did you just spy on me!? Well, you must have gotten a **good** laugh out of that, didn't you!?" The spear's end was now pointed at his chest, but he  still didn't make a move. He just stared at her passively while thinking to himself.

"Come on, just say it out loud! Just say that I can't do it! Say that I can't get strong because I'm supposed to be a "Lady" by now!" That confused him, as he watched the girl slightly tremble with her arms. The girls look got even madder, but she seemed distressed. Was she just trying to get better in fighting…or was there something else…

"GRRR! DAMMIT, JUST SAY **SOMETHING!** " The girl was now getting enraged, as she was a second away from running out of the training field to not throw a bigger tantrum. 'IS THAT GUY TAUNTING ME!? WHY DOES **EVERYBODY HAVE TO MOCK ME LIKE THIS**!? **TALK TO ME ALREA** -'

"…Arms higher." And just like that the angry facade on her face was dropped for pure confusion. She had expected him to actually mock him. Hell, she even expected him to laugh at her, but…did he just…help her?

"Wh-…what?" He saw the girl in front of him freeze up in a state of pure confusion. So with a small sigh he walked the last two steps towards her and put his hands over the girl's on the spear. He then slowly adjusted her hold on the weapon before walking in front of the tip.

"…That's how you hold it." The girl was flabbergasted. She looked towards the tired man and then to the spear and repeated the same process before she just gaped while being shell-shocked at said person before her. 'Why…d-did that guy just…?'

She managed to get over her shock eventually and still saw the man before her own spear. '…So it wasn't my imagination.' Her face slowly regained control, and managed to squeak out her single thought.

"Why?"

He didn't want to dwell too long it this place, so he turned around while shortly answering. "…You… needed help…" The sounds of his own boots was echoing over the small breeze that swept through the grass. He was almost at the end of the field, before he heard the girl speaking up with an almost unnoticeable timid voice.

"…Stop..."

Before he had set another foot further and complied, he heard the shifting of grass before the same voice returned.

"…What's…your name?"

He moved his head to the side, so he could see her from the corner of his eye. She was still standing on the same spot, but the spear was resting upright in the ground and was held by a lone hand. The girls' eyes were covered by her shadow, but he noticed a small glint sparking from the sunlight in her eyes. He then spoke in his ever-calm voice. "…Yorcin."

The girl seemed to think about that for a while, before replying in a happy voice. "Alright! Thanks for that!" He could have walked away by now, but something inside his mind told him that there were some words left unspoken, so he waited…

…With what sure seemed to be a long pause the girl's expression shifted again into distress until she spoke up. "C-Could you m-maybe…t-teach me?"

With that request he actually rose an eyebrow. A teenage girl who he just randomly encountered and gave the tiniest bit of advice just request teaching…and from him of all people. The idea in itself was so ridiculous that he should have just walked away. It was so surreal, so…childish to ask…

But (and he wasn't too happy about admitting it) maybe…just maybe…

"…Your name?" The girl didn't seem to get his question, but spoke up in a confused tone regardless.

"Uh…Sietta…" And that was all he needed for now. He started to walk away while turning his eyes forward. The girl thought he coldly declined her like the others, but then she heard from the distance his voice.

"…Tomorrow…Noon…don't be late, Sietta." He was almost out of hearing range, but just wanted to walk to the inn and sleep. With the request he just complied to, he would have a day full of mental headaches and-

"UNTIL TOMORROW, YORC!" –already felt one coming to him. He so badly wanted to relax and just rest…but he still allowed himself to turn around one last time for today. And in the distance was…that girl…no Sietta, waving at him with a bright smile.

He then turned around again…but not without giving a tired wave himself backwards. He surely didn't realize in what spot he had put himself into, but now…he had no chance to ditch her.

'Well…there no turning back now…also…Yorc?' What that was supposed to mean…he didn't know. But he may as well let her be…it wasn't like he didn't hate that nickname really. And with that he returned for the night and thought on how he would train somebody.

That day then turned into days, then days into weeks, weeks into months and faster than he could have realized it an entire year passed. Sietta had gain some proper strength now and could wield a spear with decent skill…it wasn't much but for her it was enough. For some reason she chose a trident instead of a casual spear though…and when he asked her why, she just replied:

"Well why, Yorc? For fishing of course!" Oh yeah, Sietta had an unhealthy habit of eating fish, okay? Any kind, any race, as long as it was fish she tried to grill it and eat it on the spot…he actually cracked a smile when he heard about this for the first time. Luckily he did turn away in time, or she would have teased him for ages about it...

A month later Sietta then walked up to the headquarters of the village-watchers, the local guards. Yorc decided to follow her…after her student bugged him nonstop for the said thing. When she requested to join their ranks, they simply laughed at her and said to her: "Go back to being a dress-up doll, miss!" Well…he didn't need a reminder of what happened afterwards.

But to be blunt, she decided to beat-up the entirety of the village-watch in less than two minutes. Bare-handed, he might add. When her tantrum settled down thought, she got accepted into their ranks and immediately asked who trained her like that. Sietta simply pointed at Yorc and after a rant from her side with the occasional praising of the watcher's members, they had two new recruits that day.

During his stay there they rapidly climbed up the ranks, and when the two of them received the promotion for the chief after two months prior, Sietta of course tried to persuade Yorc…

"You teached me **everything** , Yorc! Just put your damn humbleness aside and accept it for a change!" Well, they needed three entire days before 'their'…or rather her argument settled after Yorc offered her a deal after their daily spar on the same training field he met her.

"…You become chief. And…the day you beat me…or leave…I'll take the spot." Sietta wasn't truly satisfied yet, he noticed. But, that wasn't his entire deal…

"And…I'll become your…2nd-in-command…for the time being." With that offer it didn't take long for Sietta to accept. She became the hot-headed chief of the village-watchers and Yorc was under her command until any of the two conditions would be met.

To be honest, Yorcin…no…Yorc never intended to stay in Loeyur for longer than a week at most. He simply wanted to take some time off to relax, but now…he was a major figure in the lives of the people living there. They always greeted him when he was spotted, and sometimes he even received gifts from the shops around…and anything that involved fish got sent anonymously to Sietta's room.

He trained that woman for over a year, and the weirdest part…he was ok with that. He actually enjoyed his life since then. No chasing, no killing or fighting (real challenges came around rarely, and he'd get excited about every single one), but only teaching a redhead with twin ponytails and a temper worse than the heat of Fire Magic.

It was only her and Loeyur. And after all those times meeting up with that woman, helping the villagers with their local business and remembering his past...he accepted it.

He wasn't the mercenary Yorcin anymore who'd do others dirty work for Jewels, but now he was Yorc, 2nd-in-command under Sietta herself and a resident of Loeyur…

 _(Stop playing 'Fullmetal Alchemist OST – Harmony' if you've played it)_

* * *

"So your real name isn't Yorc…but Yorcin?" After I heard his story, I had so many questions open. Why did Sietta always get so mad at the calling of 'Miss', or how was the village doing before 'Full Blood' decided to basically ruin them?

He grunted softly before adding: "…I prefer Yorc…with Yorcin, I…remember." It really seemed like his past nothing short than sucked. His face even showed a small grimace… **he** had a grimace on **his** face…oh my…

"Don't worry. I'll keep calling you Yorc it that's alright with you. Also, I'll not talk about anything that you said to me except you're okay with it." His own face was still looking slightly sad…but then he smiled and nodded towards me. 'Success!'

We had a small comfortable silence over us, before Yorc sat up on his feet and walked towards the front of the carriage. I actually had a decent conversation with the silent swordsman, and it was nice. Now, who could I talk to-

 ***BANG* *BANG* *BANG***

"AAAHHHHH!"

'WHAT WAS THAT!?' Just as I was calming down, the deafening sound of explosions roared outside. So we rushed out of the carriage in record-time to see something that I would have loved to avoid today…

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST – Dark Rebirth' [on loop])_

On the path itself there were three small craters on the ground where smoke was still coming out from. Four of the village-watchers laid out cold on the ground, and Ulm and Marko were two of them, crossbow and dagger stayed limply beside them. And before us on the street stood two figures…

"Walk no further." The left man had messy, blond-brown hair in a surfer-like fashion on his head with azure-blue eyes that gazed through all of us. He wore a…yukata? No…a kimono…yes. A black kimono with a golden shoulder guard at his right. He also wore white socks and…straw sandals (weird fashion-choice). However, every other thought of mine got silenced when I laid eyes on…how… to describe that…

Imagine yourself the most menacing sword you could think of…and multiply that fear in you for it times **10**! The sword that he held in his left hand and rested upon his shoulder guard was at least **9 FT. LONG (OR ALMOST 3 METERS) AND WAS OVER 11 INCHES BROAD (OR 30 CENTIMETRES)!** That weapon put the term "Broadsword" to shame! And that wasn't all…there was a golden cross-guard that was even **wider** than the blade itself, a cloud-shaped pommel was also there. And just over the guard was a beautiful yellow, opal-formed lacrima…and judging from the glowing light it currently radiated plus the sparks that emanated out of the blade that meant three things:

First, this guy is a Lightning Magic user.

Second, said mage just attacked us…

And last…he must be a mage from 'Full Blood'…

"We're only here for the enemy mage…" Oh, that's right. Before I got absolutely terrified (which I **STILL AM!** ) there was also another person standing beside that guy. The girl actually looked pretty similar…siblings perhaps?

Her hair was done into a medium-high ponytail with dirty brown-blond bangs on the side of her face. She sported the same black kimono and also wore that shoulder guard, but on the left shoulder instead of the right one. Same footwear and eye color. Her weapon though…

It looked like a sleek rapier with **TWO BLADES!** Two blades that were shaped like a regular dagger, but only longer with the height of 3 ft. and 3 inches (or 1 meter) and seemed razor-sharp…they were even glinting in the small rays of sunlight between the clouded…wait…

'Since when **did** the weather change into this anyway? But I- NO! Wrong thoughts! Focus on the previously mentioned evil mages before you!'

Okay…seeing as 'Mr. Menacing' (like in JoJo, but WAY more terrifying) before us was a mage, that meant that she also must have some kind of magic…

"And what if we refuse to back down?" One of the village-watchers broke the tension between us and the mages, but even I think that question was a stupid idea…and- 'OH MY GOD, DUCK!'

Before I could even blink the girl performed an overhead slash…that sent out a crescent-shaped wave of air to the poor soul that spoke…and inflicted a huge gash on the guy who now collapsed! 'There is…s-SO MUCH **BLOOD** SEEPING OUT OF HIM!'

"Crap! Treat them, fast!" Sietta called out to her men before glared at the two figures while staying on the defensive. Yorc also had his sword out and prepared himself for anything. I was keeping my own sword beside me, but was ready if any fight would break down now…and even Trecht and the rest of the village-watch got their positions set…

"As we said…we're only interested on the mage. Once we have him or her out of the picture, we'll leave you alone." And to make sure that we didn't try anything stupid right now, he rose his gigantic sword from his shoulder guard with a tiny movement of his hand! 'Geez, how strong is that guy!?'

His companion scanned the crowd and looked at all of us. But when her eyes landed on me, she seemed to focus on something…like…oh cra-

 ***SLASH*** "GAH!"

" **JESSICA!"** Before I could even try to dodge, another wave of air flew straight at me and hit my upper right calf which caused me to drop on one leg. The others reacted as fast as they could by running to me and forming a protective barrier. Even Ulm (who was now conscious once more) ran to me with a bandage roll.

"Matsuri. This is her?" The guy looked still calm, but the longer I looked at him, the more noticeable it was that he was hiding his emotions. Like a façade…and even the girl looked exactly alike him, but there was a sad tinge to it…

"Yes, Fujimaru…she is the only person who possesses a big enough magic pool." They both looked straight at me…and their blue eyes… 'It's like they bore straight through me…'

I was actually trembling by now. I knew that any mage worth his salt in Earth Land was powerful in their own right…but…how was I supposed to-

*SLAP*

"Now's not the time to piss yourself! GET A **GRIP ON** , Jessica!" Oh, thank god Sietta. With her help I was calming down now…but still…

"Move away now. Or else…" Even with myself ready for actual combat situations…and my little grip on magic…

"…No chance…" Is there any possibility…?

"…" / "…Then we're sorry." ***RUMBLE* *SHING***

…Any possibility for us to win?

...

 _(Stop playing 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST – Dark Rebirth' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Oh man! This is going down right now! I am currently writing on the next chapters and MAN, I'm EXCITED!_

 _But anyhow, I got to go sleep now, so without any dawdle tonight…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	10. Breeze against a Storm

_Um…hello everybody! *Nervous laughing* I welcome you…to…uh…_

Old Man: "As much as this situation might be embarrassing you, I suggest deeply that you stay honest and don't try to talk around this matter. Please trust me in this, some things are regrettable in the past, so just tell us."

 _Alright, fine…but only because you were nice enough to not be mad at me._

Old Man: *Smiles* "Well, all is forgiven in the past. Now, may you be so kind and tell your readers what troubles you?"

 _Okay…Ladies and Gentlemen, I screwed up…AGAIN. And NO, it has NOTHING to do with the Chapters themselves or any content involving them, but I made a mistake with the ratings. As I was reading through the Chapters for spelling errors and such I thought to myself: "Why did I turn this into an 'M-rated' fanfiction again?" Well, that was simple to answer: Ta avoid future complains._

 _But when I was trying to find my fanfiction again this morning, I realized that it wasn't showing up. And well…I did a beginner's mistake. Because the standard search rating of fanfictions is 'T' I may have caused my many people to miss my own writing since to that time it was set to 'M'._

 _SO yeah…the TL:DR version goes like this: I changed the rating, caused the story to disappear for many readers from the search-algorithm and had to change it back so that it shows up again. And since it's now fixed, no problems left everybody… (Besides the few grammatical errors that I haven't found yet personally.)_

Old Man: *Chuckles* "See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?"

 _Yeah. Alright, but now we need to go with the schedule again, so if you may…_

Old Man: "Oh, sure thing." *Limps slowly to the audience*

 _Uhm, do you maybe want some painkillers for your leg? Or something else?_

Old Man: *Waves his hand* "Now, now. That won't be necessary, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Now…" *Clears throat* "Dear MrFiretank is only in the possession of the rights for 'Daylight's End' and any OC that he may have in it. Will that be everything?"

 _Yes, thank you. Now, I hereby welcome you to the next chapter of 'Daylight's End'!_

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

…

 **CHAPTER 10 – BREEZE AGAINST A STORM**

* * *

You had to only to take a single look at our odds to realize that this will be a devastating fight…

On one hand there was me (with an already bandaged wound on the right calf) with my magic ready and possessing close to none actual battle experience. Before me was a wall of what could easily be the strongest force of Loeyur lined in a defensive position. 3 of our own men were still knocked out cold, Marko being one of them. And another one of us had a nasty gash on his chest…and the fight hasn't even started yet.

On the other hand there were presumably 2 of the strongest members of 'Full Blood' standing before our path, with heavily terrifying weapons on them and are able to expertly cast both Lightning and Wind Magic offensively…

We needed a wonder to win this one.

* * *

Sietta wasn't sure how to handle this situation correctly. Part of her unit had already taken damage and they didn't even have as much of a fighting chance as them. Their lone mage almost got a panic attack and her men had been partially scared by the display of actual magic. There wasn't many options available, so the chief of the group decided to try buying some time for them.

Thus she took two steps forward with her trident still pointed ahead. Sietta tried to keep her stare at the two azure-blue eyes, but it was like they didn't even acknowledged her attempt of bravery.

'That is not good. I need to distract them, or else Jessie will get torn to pieces by these two!' Did she have a real plan at the moment? No, so she did the one thing she was known for…using her voice.

"Well, what exactly do you two blokes want with Jessica?" The girl before her raised a non-existing eyebrow at the term used by her. But her…brother (?) spoke up regardless.

"That is none of your concern Miss." ...and with the forbidden word spoken she was already clutching her trident's pole a few degrees tighter, while the sound of her partners gasping filled the air. She tried to hold in her temper as best as she could, but spoke with her teeth already gritting in her jaw.

"And **why** is that so?" If it wasn't for the anger in her body that was building up she would have tried to stall this further, but that plan slowly got thrown out of the window.

"As we said, that is not your matter Miss." …And they've done it.

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST – Diamond is Unbreakable –Stand Activated-')_

Okay, I knew that anime logic applied here, and I knew that being angry could give you a huge boost to one's own strength. But what Sietta was probably feeling right now set her into a fit of **unholy** rage!

But what also was fearsome about it was that she was literally emitting a red aura around her while her eyes shadowed over! Also, her ponytails started floating all of a sudden! The chief was no mage, but levitating things was possible as well without any of that!?

"OH NO! Everyone get back from the chief! She is having a tantrum again!" Ulm must have had his experience done already, because he was slowly backing away from the redhead…as was the entire rest of the village-watchers.

The only ones who didn't back off on sight were me, Yorc and Trecht (who now had a wooden sledgehammer as his weapon of choice). While we tried to think up of any way to get this situation back into control, Sietta spoke up.

" **Yorc.** " Her own voice was laced in pure acid…and could have melted steel on the spot. The 2nd-in-command simply nodded before walking tense to her side, while Sietta readied her trident…but not before slamming the weapon's flat side on the ground and CAUSING CRACKS TO APPEAR, WHAT!?

'HOW MUCH STRONGER DID SHE JUST GET FROM THAT ANGER!?' They simply prepared themselves, before looking (or rather glaring) at the enemy male on our path.

" **Jessica.** " I jerked up when she spoke to me with such rage in her voice, which LUCKILY wasn't directed at me. As I stood up she turned her head slightly towards me, but her facial features were still covered for me. " **You and Trecht take on the girl."**

She then turned her eyes again to the unfortunate Lightning Mage and pointed her weapon straight at him. **"That Nimrod is** _ **MINE.**_ **Got it?"** 'I knew that a stare could kill to an extent, but he must feel like he's grilled from the inside!'

"K-Kay!" I'm not sure why I moved so fast or listened to her command, but I guess she was in full 'leader'-mode by now. Trecht placed himself a step further than me but had his hammer slightly angled to the right, so that he'd deflect any attacks that would come my way.

"Do you seriously want to fight us back…even after what you saw?" The girl didn't move an inch, but there a slight movement in her posture when Sietta started raging. Her brother seemed to have reacted even more as the grip around his giant sword got tighter.

"Well, what do you think? Can't just let the kid down now, eh?" The reply came from Trecht, but everyone could tell that he was on edge. Heck, every single one of us was close to freaking out (expect our red-head who was currently focusing of ripping that guy into shreds), but…something was slightly off about this situation.

Before I had the mini panic attack, I wasn't thinking straight. But now, my mind just realized that if the pair had witnessed our defensive measures, then they could have attacked any time…

…Are they…trying to avoid fighting us maybe?

The blond guy sighed with a tired expression on his face (although a slight bit of fear was in there somewhere) before lifting that menacing sword and then turning to his sister. "Matsuri." Said person just turned her head and stared confused at him.

"Yeah?" 'It seems like they express themselves normally between each other.' They both readied their weapons as if they understood each other without any words left.

"Only 'Raijin' and 'Shinatobe'. No offensive magic if unnecessary." They then took their stances as they analyzed us. My Holder Magic might give them a surprise, but they'll still be able to openly attack us if we don't figure out-

" **ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT I'M A WIMP OR WHAT!?"** –how they fight and- WHY DID YOU JUST RUSH IN SIETTA!?

As unorthodox as this attack was, it still managed to surprise Fujimaru as he wasn't expecting this straight rush from Sietta (and Yorc!?). Unfortunately, he just managed to block both of their attacks without any trouble! 'Talking about strong!'

"Grrr…Matsuri, take care of the other two. I'll hold them back." While he was holding that giant sword before him as a shield, Sietta started to stab at him over and over again. Yet every strike was blocked by his 'Raijin'.

" **RAH! DON'T! HIDE! AWAY! YOU! STUPID! COWARD! FIGHT ME!"** Giving her current mental condition…she seemed to have lost it, but that gave her enough strength to go toe-to-toe with the first mage.

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Fairy Tail OST – Against Magic' [Extended])_

"Eyes up ahead, Jess~." Oh, right! There was still Matsuri left, who was pointing her dual-rapier at me. She seemed playfully smirk at me as-

"Did you just call me 'Jess'?" 'What is up with her!? She goes from stoic to happy-sappy in less than an instant!'

She even stared wide-eyed at me like a small child would when they were clueless of something. "Jessica is your name, right? So, 'Jess' wouldn't be so bad as a nickname, would it?" She even smirked now… she was toying with me, right!?

"Well, anyhow! Jess, Jessica, it doesn't matter! Let's just give our best and show me what you're capable of, what do you say?" The rapier's tips were again pointed before her…what did she call her weapon again? 'Shinatobe'? Hold on, that stands for 'Wind Goddess'…and 'Raijin' was another translation for 'Thunder God'! *Gulp* '…This won't go well…'

"Hey, kid." Trecht, who was still beside me was looking at me and my frozen posture while we was- smirking **as well!?**

"I know that this situation looks dire, but we got our opponent in front of us while the others deal with her sibling." Matsuri had a smirk on her face as he said that… "Since this'll be a fight of mage versus mage, you'll need to calm down and focus on **her** now, okay? Plus, it'd be a shame to ignore someone who challenged you openly, now wouldn't it?" 'I swear to god Trecht, if we weren't in a life-or-death situation right now, I'd whack you on the forehead!'

"C'mon Jess, the farmer is right! Don't want to left me hanging here now, right?" And how is it that the girl is treating me like I'm her best friend!? 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER PERSONALITY!?' First she threatened us, then she injured me, and now she talks to me like nothing ever happened!

"Well, you might want to answer soon, or else we can stay here until midnight. Also, 'farmer'? Please, I'm higher than that, so just call me by my name, alright?" Are they having a small-talk in the middle of the field!? '…You know what, my brain can't take this anymore. I give normal reasoning up for now.'

"Whatever floats your boat, Trechty~!" And just like that the brewer had a confused and even disgusted look on his face that said everything about his opinion to that. Seeing as we couldn't waste much more time, I prepared my own sword and angled my left foot by 90 degrees. Well, everyone who knew what magical abilities I possessed would know of my plan. 'Which angle would work against her the best, I wonder…I'll just have to try and hit her with a surprise attack.'

"Hm. Seems like you finally calmed down Jess~! Good, so now we can properly fight. For a good battle!" The girl's voice took a challenging side-tone as she shifted slightly to a…pose?

"Likewise." And with that one word spoken I had my channeling completed to stand directly before her. While I had spoken before I already angled my blade sideways to prepare for a vertical slash. The moment I appeared before her she went eyes-wide and wasn't reacting!

'This is my chance!' Now just hit the strike and-HUH!?

* * *

Trecht wasn't sure what to make out of this situation. While he talking to Jessica to calm her down, that girl…Matsuri actually helped him out. If it wasn't for a bystander, they wouldn't have realized that weird glint in her eyes. But she actually agreed to help him without any words as she gazed at him.

When Jessica readied herself, he instantly recognized her stance. It took him a while to figure it out but he learned that the girl had a tendency to shift the leg she used her own magic for. He also learned what both of her boots would be able to do in the terms of Holder Magic. 'So far she could teleport a short distance or unleash a heavy attack consisting out of kicks…but will that be enough?'

But then there was also the current timing of the situation. Jessica did manage to ambush Matsuri and was already preparing to swipe at her. But then…

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Bloodborne OST – Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos (Phase 1)' [Extended])_

"Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing!" Just inches away from her torso she…just dodged and stood now besides a dumbfounded mage who had as much of an idea of what is going on than him.

'Crap! I need to assist her or she'll get stomped into the dust!' He ran as fast as his legs could carry him to the enemy while she went for a stabbing motion aimed at Jessica's upper arm. The sick part though…she was grinning while she was going for her.

"Would you like some help, kid!?" He swung down at the Wind Magic user and expected to dodge her, but instead she still swung forward. Just as the stab was close to hitting her he nailed his swing on Matsuri's forehead…or so he thought.

Instead of injuring her and possibly dealing brain damage, she simply shifted in the same close-call fashion than before. It was like her body was moving away from their weapons and moved along them before they hit. 'Whatever this is, it could end very badly when the fights drags on.'

Their enemy stepped a few feet away while snickering behind her hand. She then shifted away and…'Hold on. Since when was that aura around her?'

"Seems like you noticed it, huh Trechty~?" He tried to hide his inner disgust about the brewer's new nickname while keeping his defensive stance.

"W-what? WHAT WAS **THAT**!?" Jessica who  finally snapped out of her shock was shouting at the Wind Mage user, and judging from her expression this would get close to another breakdown… 'Dang it, and just when I got her out of the one before…'

"Hm? What do you mean, Jess? You're a mage, right? So you should know what that was! But, alright~…I'll just show it to you again so you'll understand, okay?" Trecht had to admit, for being a mage for a pretty evil Dark Guild, that girl was surprisingly nice…but why was she doing all of this? Boredom? Taunting? Or is there something else?

"Watch closely, Jess~! I'll only explain it once, anything afterwards stays that way! Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing!" Once she called this out, a light blue magic circle appeared under Matsuri, and seconds after it there was a current of wind flowing over her skin. 'It looks like a second layer of skin, but see-through and transparent.' Trecht gritted his teeth in inner frustration, because what this was would make their lives much more difficult.

"See this wind over my own body? This is the Wind Magic spell 'Monsoon's Blessing'. As long as this strong but normally unnoticeable current is here, I do not only notice any form of attack that comes my way, but it also moves my body for me and dodges them! Not even hostile waves of magic could hit me like this~!" And gone was his confidence. Jessica also seemed to be questioning her past choices, judging from her drained face and slightly shaking hands.

* * *

…Oh no…this…this way really, **REALLY** bad…

"Huh? Ey, come on Jess~! Lighten up, alright? Surely you can counter something like this!" If I understood her right, then 'Wind Magic: Monsoon's Blessing' was a more utilizable version of the spell 'Storm Mail'. Should my mind remember the fight of Natsu against Erigor right, then he used his own Fire Dragon Slayer Magic to disperse his spell. But I only have my two spells and my sword on hand…

"Jessica…just…just concentrate, alright? You have a sharp mind, don't forget that. If we can stall this long enough then you could maybe come up with something, right?" Oh Trecht…I wasn't sure about that myself…

My situation couldn't get any worse at this point…right now I had to somehow bypass a skin-like barrier that negates **ALL** physical attacks and augmented her dodging capabilities by an absurd amount…

"Come on Jessie...don't panic now…we need to do this, remember?" I can't backstab her…I can't attack her from the sides or from below…

"Just think…about all the people in Loeyur that count on us!" She had no blind spot…She couldn't get hit by any physical attacks…and she could freely attack us back…

"Jess? You ok there…you, uh…look a little pale." And I had… **no** **way to disperse of it** … **no tactic to bypass it** …and no chance of winning as long as it was active…

"Jessica, calm down already!" I…I…how…

"JESSICA!" / "Whoa, Jess!" And suddenly everything turned black.

 _...'Oh young child...'_

* * *

Sietta hadn't regained her posture yet, but she was now able to passively manage her anger towards that "scum". 'How… **dares** he to call me a **Lady**?' Yorc, who was trying to get a slash of his own in, was suffering from small cuts on his skin due to Fujimaru's sword blocking all strikes and him pulling away not fast enough.

Mind you, that guy was tough as nails, seeing as he fought off both of them at the same time with little effort. But what truly made this a challenge was the fact that he still was a mage and hadn't actively used spells yet…when they were able to land a few small scratches against his hand, he jumped back for a second to ram the upper part of his sword into the earth while focusing, and…lo-and-behold…

"Lightning Magic: Electrical Sakuretsu!" With a neon-yellow magic circle under his feet there were now sparks emitting from his skin. Fujimaru didn't look much different than before besides that fact, but the two trained fighters knew that underestimating this could very well cost them their lives.

"This is my own spell, 'Electrical Sakuretsu'. While this spell stays active, the current in my body will flow into your own when it touches either you, your weapons or anything else related. So I suggest that you surrender now and leave the mage with us. Or else I'll be forced to seriously injure you from now on.

Right now their own chances were slim. Fujimaru had not only abnormal strength that must have been somehow related to his Lightning Magic, but he was also able to counter all of their dual-rush attacks…and because of this they started to slightly waver in their determination.

"Surrender yourself, you punk! Like I will-"

"JESSICA!"

All 3 participants turned towards Trecht's cry and saw…their only mage passed out…on the floor. Trecht, who was slightly panting stood now defensively before her and their opponent, Matsuri was…frowning?

'What… **what did she do to her?** ' Her mind suddenly became clouded with thoughts...How did the girl just drop down all of a sudden? How did it happen? And was she…still…

'No, now is **not** the time to think like this. Remember what Yorcin taught you…' The chief resumed on focusing towards her own enemy…who still looked at his sister's face. He looked distraught, like this was bothering him. 'Yeah, right…as if a mage from a Dark Guild would care about that.'

"Yorc! Go over to Trecht and help him out. Squad 1, arrange a defensive line for Jessica and protect her and the others! Squad 2, mend **anyone** of us should they get injured and treat them, pronto!"

"Yes, chief!" She rapidly barked out her orders, but was still focusing on the problem at hand. Her opponent was back into the fight and held his sword stable again. Instead of attacking however, he rose his voice again.

"What about yourself? Why are you facing me alone?" Sietta didn't really know why she ordered everyone way from herself. Maybe her anger controlled her still. Heck, even her own pride could be the problem…but no. The redhead probably knew why…

"As if it wasn't obvious you jerk! That girl there is our friend. We care for her as much as possible, and when she can't carry her own weight, then we'll make sure that we assist her…as for me facing you alone…" She readied her Trident again (which had already one of its three tips broken from the sword's sheer striking force. Her face had a determined glare on this time, as she looked towards the Lightning Magic user.

"…I still have a score to settle with **you**. And do you want to know **why**?" She charged at him once more, which seemed to have confused Fujimaru since his ' Electrical Sakuretsu' was still up. 'Is she trying to get herself injured?'

But instead of poking him head-on she used the flat end of her trident to swing at his torso…and actually managed to land a hit. 'Because **nobody**...'

He could bring his sword up before Sietta charged another strike, but still stared slightly wide-eyed at the enraged chief. He had to pull away though as her strikes became quicker.

She readied herself once more while having the glare still up…but now, a small smile joined her façade as she took a step forward. "Nobody **ever** calls **me** **a Lady**!"

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Brandon Fiechter – Dark Whispers')_

It was dark…

So, so dark.

I was standing alone this nothingness, and tried to wrap my wind about what just happened…I was supposed to fight that other mage, and a single spell was enough to let me fall into a second panic attack. Then I…fainted.

I am alone here.

It's cold here…

I looked down at myself in shame, and tried to think of what I could have done. Should I have kept fighting on? Would I have died if I did so? Were the others alive out there, or had they have enough and fled?

It was so cold…

So cold…and alone.

My mind was so occupied among this…black void that I flinched when…something was standing before me. It was a silhouette. A tall silhouette that at least 3 times bigger than me and looked…deformed?

I feel…so lonely…

"So…you finally heeded my call, young one." Its voice was pretty clean, like that of a grandfather speaking on a calm morning day. He didn't have any visible eyes from the dark presence of its form, but it still looked like he…or she was looking at me.

Are those…his emotions…?

"What are thou striving for…what is your wish, young one?" I wasn't sure if I could answer his…hers…its question correctly, but I wasn't clear about that myself. So I spoke the first thing that currently came to my mind.

But why…wasn't he sad…but happy?

"I was supposed to help the people I met…I wanted to fight for them so they could finally be free…I wanted to have an adventure of my own…but I wasn't ready yet." My eyes trailed down into the cold abyss under the, as I saw the darkness…moving…shifting or something close to that. "I failed."

Why is he…not sad?

"…I cannot give you what you strife for, young one." The tall shadow seemed to move a few steps away, but at its place there was a dim light eliminating the darkness.

He is…calm…

"But there is a way for you to achieve it…over my past I was learning from it…I fulfilled my own dreams with it…and even when I perished to the beasts, which are now part of me…I was still led onto the path of its light in the end."

His heart…feels…completed?

The light was slowly replaced with…something…I couldn't quite make it out from the darkness. I was able to see the sword I was given by Hana that I was already fond of. It was old, yes…but it already helped me to pull through this journey so far.

Is he…moving on?

And then it shifted, as its form became unnoticeable from the void and slowly started to shift. But the more it became visible, the more light filled my void. A green…almost dark-green glee filled the air, and it radiated from the spot before mine and the silhouette's.

"…My time may have passed…" Now there form got more noticeable. It was…a sword…that emitted this eerie light… "But…"

Wait…

…Sword…Light…Moonlight…?

…!

* * *

 _The sword had been copied from a certain memory we found in your records, but I won't elaborate too much on it._

* * *

This…this was…

"Now may my true mentor help you on your way. This…"

No… **freaking** … **way** …

"…Is your guiding moonlight."

 _(Stop playing 'Brandon Fiechter – Dark Whispers' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): AAAHHHH! It's happening, were finally revealing the mystery around her sword. I might be a bit too skeptic about this, but I don't think everyone played the game of Jessica's memories that this was referred to. HOWEVER, don't expect this to be like the original (should you know of it already), because…no wait, spoilers people! I don't do them!_

 _Well, this was a fun Chapter to write-_

Jessica: "I **fainted**."

Everybody else: "And we witnessed that."

 _And you tried to fight a pro mage with…what, two mediocre spells that turned out useless in less than 2 minutes? Also, your_ _ **13**_ _years old, it's not like you fought in Vietnam or such…_

Matsuri: "What is 'Vietnam'? Is it beautiful there~?"

'G': " **Don't** ask, trust me…you don't want to know."

 _Well anyways, may all of you have a good night /day and as such…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	11. Passing your Limit

_So, welcome back everybody for the next Chapter of 'Daylight's End'! Right now we're passing Nr.11, and even I'm surprised that I haven't had any trouble with the writing process yet! Big problems…at least…weren't in place. Only grammatical errors that got changed over the course of 12 hours max. were the only thing that could have caused any circumstances for me?_

Old doctor: "To be fair, your own health had been neglected over the past week due to excessive writing…and never really going to sleep."

 _You'd be surprised doctor at how many people in my generation are easily throwing away any concerns for their own health. We usually strain our eyes, and burn much more stamina through the days by only focusing on electronics._

Doctor's son: "But you never really explained what modern…e-elek...ele-ec…"

 _E-lec-tro-nics._

Doctor's son: "Yes, you never explained what elec…tronics are. When we asked, you simply replied with: 'That is for another day.'"

 _I…uhm…I'm not so good at explaining things to others. Let me call Jessica up, she may be able to help you better. *Clicks contacts* *Presses 'Jessica Layna'*_

 _*Ring*…*Ring*…*Ring*_

Jessica: 'Hello, Jessica speaking?'

 _Hello Jessica! You need to do something for me alright? I'll hand the phone to a buddy of mine and you'll explain him in detail what electronical devices are, okay? Great!_

Jessica: 'Wait, what!? Hold on Fi-!'

 _*Pushes smartphones into the doctor's son's hands* Here you go~!_

Doctor's son: "Uhm…thanks?"

 _No problem! Now, doc, are you able to do the disclaimer so we can move on the Chapter?_

Old doctor: "Sure, that won't be a problem." *Turns to the audience* "Before you read this fanfiction on your own risk, I would like to remind you that any rights for 'Daylight's End' and it's OCs…me included, although I'm not sure what that exactly means-"

 _Don't worry about that, just finish your sentence._

Old doctor: "-Uh…are reserved by MrFiretank."

 _Thank you, now, let's move on and get this fanfiction r-_

Doctor's son: "THEY USE NO MAGIC TO FUNCTION!?"

 _OY! As much as I can share your interest in technology, please tone it down a little, alright? I need to say this properly or we'll be stuck here._

Doctor's son: *Whispers* "Sorry."

 _It's fine, just don't try to interrupt again. Now, since this has been solved…Roll the next Chapter! Oh, and before I forget it, I want to give credit to my friends_ **Dorion** _and_ **Schneckenfaser** _for helping me to search a few of the soundtrack's and giving me a few ideas here and there! Keep up the good work, you sports!_

…

 **CHAPTER 11 – PASSING YOUR LIMIT**

* * *

Loeyur's forces didn't know what to do right now. Both their strongest fighters had received casual to serious injuries over time. Even the brewer who volunteered to organize their carriages is sustaining quite a few gashes, while one cut on his left arm had almost resulted in losing his limb. Sietta and Yorc shared their fair share of exhaustion…

Ulm and Marko didn't know how long they could keep this up. The enemy mages didn't even look strained. At all! But currently, they only had the option to either give fire support (which either got blocked or simply dodged, much to Ulm's distain) or treat the injured egg-heads that blindly rushed at their opponents, even while going against the chief's and 2nd-in-command's orders to stay back at all costs. It was a small miracle that nobody died…yet.

They hoped that their only chance to win this battle, which was Jessica to wake up soon, and hopefully having a plan to win this. Or else they'd all land in the gutter…

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Derek Fiechter – Lost Village of Snow')_

"…This…is…m-my… **my** sword?"

Was he…actually serious? Ludwig, the Accursed…no. Ludwig, the **Holy Blade** was the memory Hana was talking about? UN…believable.

"Yes, young one. As it was my true mentor while I was traveling under the living, it shall be yours to wield from now on." I…was actually…t-this was now…

'Was this… **real**?' According to the lore, the ' Holy Moonlight Sword' (or for DS-fans, the 'Moonlight Greatsword') which was found by Ludwig would rarely be used in its true state by him…and even less people had been offered its wisdom. Heck, if I remember right, then Ludwig was the ONLY known person to wield it properly.

Once my breathing became hitched, I took a tentative step towards this legendary artifact. I was very slowly reaching for its handle…I so badly wanted to believe that this…weapon was…actually mine to hold. I felt its energy flowing around it…like a gust of wind pushing me back.

"Don't fret. Your eyes may see the unbelievable, but go past your own beliefs and embrace them to see the full picture of your future." I was now a step away from the handle. Its arcane-like power was flowing in its massive blade and the energy itself emitted a steady glow that illuminated everything around us.

'He's right…don't try to scrutinize this, Jessica. This is my sword from now on. **My** own weapon to wield and use as I please…' And by closing the last inches before me as the mysterious force dissipated at once, I grabbed onto the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' with one hand…and then a second one…then I finally pulled it towards me…

The second it left the levitating light, I felt its weight being increased by a great amount. Yet at the same time, there was so much…power flowing through my veins. My own magic that was only a river for me beforehand felt like a massive torrent sweeping over me now. Amidst this huge flow, I heard a voice pierce through this daze…

' _Do not fret Jessica…or else you'll lose yourself in my wake.'_ ...Wait, who said that!?

I was this close from ruining the moment and throwing the weapon out of my hand due to the unpredictable "jumpscare" I just experienced. But then a mysterious hand gently grabbed my wrist and stopped me from committing any irreversible mistake and I came to face with…well…

What had just appeared before my eyes, was a ghostly woman, whose pure white hair was flowing behind her like a curtain, while her eyes had been full of the same unearthly aurora-like glow that was emitted by the 'Holy Moonlight Sword'. She had a white silk robe on her, which was almost matching her skin color. She looked…so surreal, yet this fact made her appear much more stunning.

She simply smiled as my eyes went wide and let go of my wrist before speaking to me in that motherly voice that I heard before. " _I am known by many names, but if you truly wish to address me…then please feel free to use the nickname 'Luna' for future reference."_

"Since you now have been given the chance to receive…'Luna's' wisdom, my time is clearing to an end…" And with that the silhouette was slowly dissolving…and before it completely left, I saw the true face of who was the first and (before my journey) only wielder of this sword. The hunter, that became the one thing he truly feared…and now was moving on before my eyes, was none other than the Hunter Legend himself, Ludwig. Yet…before he could leave…seeing as his time was limited now…

"Ludwig, wait!" Maybe it was my imagination…but the light that was slowly dissolving him, slowed down considerably. And I was grateful for that, since it allowed me to tell him what I think.

"Hm? Are you having anything left to address before I move on, young one?" I was really not trying to think about his own fate, but for what I had to say it was necessary…

"Whatever happened that made you become one of them…it didn't change who you really were! Sure, your… **our** mentor made you realize this. But even before that you aren't to blame for your mistakes. You aren't Ludwig, the Accursed anymore…but now you're Ludwig, Ex-Hunter and the first holder of this sword. Don't blame yourself…please!" I think that if both Ludwig and 'Luna' would've been physically able to cry, they would've. But, instead it went on like this:

Ludwig's expression turned from confusion into surprise and sadness…which was replaced by a small, but true smile as the light began moving again. 'Luna' looked proudly over her shoulder to see her first student ever, leaving this realm since his job had been done.

He chuckled lightly, before he looked at me directly. "Ah…now I can see why they believe in you so much. You may have a long way before you, young one. But your heart is truly pure for others…" The light had almost surrounded him, as he then turned to 'Luna' one last time. "…May her wisdom guide you and make you stronger. May you find the answers you seek in her guidance…Jessica."

And with these last words of encouragement spoken…he had passed on in a flash of pure white light.

 _(Stop playing 'Derek Fiechter – Lost Village of Snow' if you've played it)_

'Luna', who I maybe should start to call mentor soon, was once again looking over me. The light in this space was retreating and the void was returning with each passing second. ' _Now then, Jessica. I think it is time for us depart now, seeing as we don't have many reasons to stay behind. Additionally, your comrades are starting to lose any chances of succeeding in their conquest like this.'_

"You're right…but how are you gonna…you know…guide me?" Well, I knew she was a mentor, but how her exact guidance worked, was a mystery that even I wasn't sure how to solve.

'Luna' gave an eerie chuckle before disappearing from my side, but spoke up nonetheless from my mind and answering the question in its process. _'Now, young one? Are you truly ready to face your chosen destiny?'_

"I am." The glow from 'Luna' then grew stronger and stronger…

…And then we woke up.

* * *

The situation on the way to 'Colossal Mountain' had become worse. Over half of the group was out of the fight now due to injuries or the lack of power. Their best fighters started to slack and their biggest hope was still unconscious. She had been carried to the back of one of the carts, but her head was still resting on the cold wood.

Marko was still not sure about this fight while treating any injured people. Maybe his hopes had been delusional, and maybe they couldn't escape the grasp of 'Full Blood'. But as he was lost in his own thought, he failed to notice Jessica stirring from her sleep.

When the girl woke up and was trying to stand, however, he rushed to her side and assisted her.

"Good that you're finally awake now!" He was starting to feel a little bit of hope again, but was still unsure on how she could somehow turn this battle around. But these worries had to wait, as he explained the situation out there to her.

Sietta, Yorc and Trecht were the only ones left standing out there. The others assisted them as good as possible, but to no avail against 'Raijin' and 'Shinatobe'. In addition, their spells had been active the entire time which decimated most of their odds against the two mages.

"This is bad! I have to help them s-…what do you mean with that?" Marko was raising his eyebrow as their only mage started to look funny at her own worn-out sword. 'Was she…talking with her weapon?'

"I know! But their magic is shielding them from…y-you know how to solve this!?" Everyone who heard this suddenly perked up and stared wide-eyed, with hope filling their veins at the mage.

"You know how to beat them!?" Marko couldn't contain his happiness my now. They finally had a way to turn the tides!

"I…didn't necessarily come up with that plan. But…yes, I have an 'idea' on how to bypass their stupid spells." Marko then saw her getting up, but almost trip as her legs were still asleep. He quickly caught her arm and adjusted her weight so she wouldn't fall again. She gratefully smiled at him before walking to the battlefield once this. But this time, he noticed her determination radiating from her heart.

'Stay determined from now on, Jessica!'

* * *

"Are you sure that this will work, Luna?" I was currently running to the battlefield at the front of the carriages. From the sounds in the air I could say that they were still going at it. The sword that was now back into its current form was still in my right hand as we hurried.

' _From the explanation of your friend, I can assume that their spells are the one hurtle away from your victory. Do not fear though, since I will guide you to your success.'_ 'The Holy Moonlight Sword', or just 'Luna' for now was talking with me via. some sort of link in my mind. Even if she wasn't visible for me in her ghost-form, I could still imagine the outlines of her soothing expression in my head… 'She's behaving towards me like a mother would with her child.

The same eerie chuckle that I heard back in the void filled my ears. ' _I feel flattened that you think more of me than just a mentor or a weapon at hand. But for now, please redirect your attention towards the task before you.'_

"Right." I quickly arrived at the field, but the sight was one I instantly wished to never witness again…

Trecht had cuts and bruises all over his body, and tried to stay upright with hus legs while using his wooden sledgehammer like a cane…he was visibly struggling and I swear there was a stabbing wound in his left shoulder…

Sietta was panting while trying to get into another stance. Her make-shift armor was torn in multiple places and she was holding onto her trident like a lifeline. A bit of her skin had been singed…mostly her hands and the trident was missing one of its blade tips…

Even Yorc looked worn out…his arms had a few cuts and bruises, but his rigid breathing was visible to everybody…he even closed one of his eyes from the sheer exhaustion that his body was experiencing.

And then there were the siblings before us, who looked 'slightly' worn out, but other than that they seemed perfectly fine, even their spells had been still up. Only Fujimaru had a few bruises on him, but Matsuri seemed healthy. They both had a frown on their face, like they didn't want to keep going on…but that changed quickly when they caught sight of me. Matsuri had the smile from before on her face while Fujimaru was expressing…a bit of surprise?

"Oh, it's you Jess! Are you alright now~?" 'She was back to her perky self…' I was still confused by that, but as long as the others could catch a breather, I'd not try to let her attack the others.

The three fighters from Loeyur quickly spun around to really confirm that bald statement…and man, did they get shocked when they saw me.

"JESSICA!?" Even Yorc had blurted this out, and seeing as he was having a huge grin on his face not a moment later, he must've been relieved as much as the others.

"…Good timing." He grinned as he was slowly creeping towards me, yet his eyes never left the siblings. When he was almost before me he finally relaxed a bit…and winced as he moved his left leg.

"So you finally woke from your slumber, eh kid?" Trecht would have liked to get near me as well…but he couldn't really due to his injuries, so he stayed on the spot. Guessing from all those cuts on him it was Matsuri that did this to him…

"It's about damn time you showed up! …I **almost** thought that you left us hanging there." Sietta tried to play it off cool with a faked grin, but even I could tell that the fight took a huge toll on her…

They…got all injured, just to protect me…

' _And that is why we need to fight them now, so that their effort was not for naught. Just tell them to hold back and not interfere.'_ The tone in her voice shifted from soothing to stern. Her mind expression was also shifting into a small frown while ghostly eyes narrowed at the siblings before me.

'Okay.' "Yorc, Sietta. Can you back out for now and get Trecht treated?" Yorc seemed to get the hint as he turned towards the others, but Sietta butted in with her own opinion.

" **WHAT!?** NO! There's no way I'll leave you alone and-"

"Sietta… **Please.** " My tone must have surprised her, because there wasn't any objection afterwards. She just looked at me for a second before nodding and walking to Trecht with Yorc behind her.

"… **3 Minutes**. After that, I'll step in. You got that?" With that they picked up Trecht under his arms started walking to the front carriage. 'This is it.' I gazed to Matsuri and Fujimaru…which didn't relieve my nerves in the slightest. They positioned themselves in no actual stance, but rather just stood there with 'Raijin' and 'Shinatobe' leaning on their shoulder guards. They still looked at me, happiness and confusion on their respective faces.

"You're here Jess~! I'm so glad that you're fine after what happened!" Was she…worried for my actual health? But why!? '*Sigh*…There is no reason to question myself further…' ' _As much as this situation confuses even myself…I solely agree with your opinion.'_

"Are you sure that you want to fight us together, head-on? Remember, your friends have all been injured while fighting us. What makes you think that you'll achieve a different result?" Fujimaru was still fine, but there were a few small bruises on his hand. 'I guess that this must have been Sietta's result.' What worried me, was the amount of tiny sparks that came out of his skin. Marko had told me about it, but I wasn't sure what to expect. _'If what your friend said is right, then you'll receive a backlash from his spell '_ _Electrical Sakuretsu_ _' that sends the current that flows on…or even_ ** _in_** _his body at you, should you score a hit. I'm not sure if said current is deadly on contact, so be careful!'_

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Dark Souls III Soundtrack OST – Slave Knight Gael [The Ringed City]')_

"They fought for me to keep us safe, so I'll do the same." 'Don't worry. I will…but alright, what do I do now, Luna?' My mind was still unsure of her claim, that we could beat those two together. I mean…she was an entity that is god-knows how old. But could she be actually right?

' _Trust me in this, Jessica. I may be a spirit of great age…but I still fought battles worth thousands of years. Now, I want you to hold me upright…and keep your arms stretched out from your chest.'_ I followed her request wordlessly and took the position I was told to. "Also, to answer your other question...it is because I am a **mage**."

' _Now channel your inner magic like you did with your boots, but this time focus on channeling it into your weapon (or myself).'_ When she said this, I panicked for a moment since my magic control was lacking at best…but I still focused with everything I had on channeling like she said.

"Well, just like before, give me your best shot- !?" Matsuri smiled while encouraging me again, but quickly had a panicked expression on her face. I think I know what she felt, because I too sensed a powerful energy which was the same ocean of power I felt before. 'T-This HUGE energy wasn't there before! W-What changed there!? I've got to warn my brother, fast!'

' _Jessica…the energy you feel is my own. In this moment you reach out to my magic as I reach out to yours. I now want you to respond by pouring your own magic into mine.'_ Again, I responded by doing said task, but then I felt my magic starting to circulate around a tiny bit of her own. _'This is nothing to be afraid of, child. I'm simply assisting you by letting my own energy direct yours. But right now, I want you to speak after me, loud and clear, okay?'_ I simply nodded before she spoke. _'The endless darkness, and the infinite stars…'_

"The endless darkness, and the infinite stars…" I felt my magic circulating faster, there also seemed some kind of pressure on my hands, as if my body or the air around them suddenly got heavier. _'Between my hands, they align as one…'_

"…Between my hands, they align as one…" Now my magic energy was starting to merge with her own and the same aurora-like glow as before appeared. It was yet almost unnoticeable, but I could feel this wave of power subsiding and flooding the weapon at hand.

* * *

"Fujimaru! This is-!" Matsuri' panicked expression stayed while taking a step back. She was now pumping her own magic into the current spell that protected her body, since this situation could escalate right now…

"I know. She also possesses a Holder Magic Weapon…" Whatever weapon this mage before them could bring out, it would hinder their own plans. Jessica…was now raising her hands so that the sword was above her head while closing her eyes. With that, they both got into defensive stances while looking at the spectacle before their eyes.

"…And shine brightly under the night's sky!" She opened her own eyes, but this time they weren't this regular blue from before, but now they shined with an almost ghost-like glow of green.

"I beseech thee to fill the void with the light of the moonlight goddess... 'Awaken: Holy Moonlight Sword!'" The air around them was dipped into a dark green as a bright flash of the same color completely covered Jessica's sword. Everyone shielded their eyes from the sheer intensity as a weird sound was heard…like vibrations...

* * *

'Wow, this is bright!' My eyes got momentarily blinded as this literal flash erupted in my face. I was still in the same position, but I felt my hands holding a greater weight like before…' _You can open your eyes again, Jessica.'_ And…wow, did I meet a beautiful sight.

The light before me was gone and in its place was my own 'Holy Moonlight Sword' in all of its glory. The energy radiating from it gave the air a soft tinge of green. The sword was the same height as me, while its width increased to 1 ft. and 7 inches (or 0.5 meters). The hilt and its guard were still in place, but with this new weapon's blade I might have received a chance to turn this around. 'No matter how often I eye you, you're still a sight to behold Luna.'

Everyone's mouths were left gaping at the artifact in my hand. Sietta and Trecht seemed shocked while Yorc tried to contain his emotions, even the village-watchers were left speechless. Heck, even the siblings couldn't hide their shocks from their façade. 'Alright, you're now in you true form! But…what now?'

I heard a small chuckle as she spoke up: _'Since I am now out of my released state, I can cast my magic spells as long as I stay like this. But since you're using me while feeding your own magic to maintain this form, I use a mix of both magical resources. Or simplified, for every spell that I now cast, the strain on your magic will increase to balance out the used magic energy…and given your current reserve size, I can maybe cast one…maybe two powerful spells before your magic will be depleted.'_

'Alright…so I have not much time to beat the two of them together, huh? This'll be tough.' Two spells to take down two experienced mages…not good odds, but there are some now. _'Don't panic now. You have me on your side, so you'll not be facing them alone. Right this moment, point myself at them and I can channel the first spell.'_ Without much to lose right now, I did exactly the thing Luna asked for.

The siblings instantly reacted, however, as they held their weapons before them. They also seemed to empower their active spells as Matsuri's 'Monsoon's Blessing' gained on visibility and its current seemed to move way faster than before. Meanwhile Fujimaru's 'Electrical Sakuretsu' gained on intensity and brightness. They both had nervous frowns on them, their façade completely gone.

' _Thank you, Jessica. Now…'_ I felt the energy of my transformed blade acting up and moving towards the tip of the sword while she chanted: _'O great entity that gazes beyond my presence…guide the night's darkness to where I request! Let my shine of magic be the only of its kin and may it weather thorough the nothingness with all of its glory!_ ' _Abyssal Cosmos Magic: Void Strain '!_'

The effect of her cast spell was immediate as I felt a big chunk of my magic being taken by hers and disappearing. But her cast seemed to have a **huge** effect. After a large magical circle in dark green appeared under their feet, both Fujimaru and Matsuri instantly struggled to stay upright. Fujimaru's weapon wasn't resting on his shoulders anymore, but was now touching the ground before his feet. Matsuri's weapon was still up, but a visible struggle for her weapon's control was there. But what almost caused me to jump up from joy…

…Was the fact that the spells around their bodies seemed to have been taken care off.

'T-Their spells are gone. Your magic worked! This is incredible, Luna!' I could now sport a determined smile on my face while the siblings actually paled. 'But why?'

' _Well, my own spell might be the reason. It originates from my '_ _Abyssal Cosmos Magic_ _' and is what most of you would consider a…Lost Magic. It uses the balance between the void and my lunatic powers to create this art. The spell I just used, '_ _Void Strain_ _' overloads the excessive amount of magic in one spot to create a…how could you describe it at best, hm? Ah! Imagine a black hole that stays stationary at one spot and effects two things. First, it changes gravity like a regular black hole would. The second thing it does…'_

I was looking ahead through the explanation and saw both of their spells still gone. _'…Is that this modified area drains a strong amount of magic energy from anything inside it with each passing second. It can't, however, target any things specifically, hence why I requested your friends to back off. It will not kill them should they reach the point of magic exhaustion, albeit they should get knocked out when their capacities reach zero.'_ Wow…just…I have no words for this. A spell this powerful and it's in my hands.

Luna seemed to notice my giddiness, so she shot that down instantly. _'I'm afraid that your expectations should not get too high up. Although this spell is indeed powerful, it also adds to the drain of your_ _own_ _reserves. Additionally, this spell in itself consumes a great chunk of magic energy when casted, so I'm not personally sure how long it will last. At that note, we need to finish this fight before our own energy will be depleted!'_

The hurried tone instantly dragged me back into the fight, and now I saw why. With her explanation, there were two things I understood as well. Mages inside her spell can cast magic, but have to gradually increase the amount of magic energy used for each individual spell. And also they are affected by gravity, but can move, given the required force to counter the spell's one.

And both of these things were applying, given that the siblings now stood firmly with their knees slightly angled. Fujimaru's sword was now up again and was held to his right while Matsuri mirrored her brother's movements, only that her rapier was on the left side. They both seemed to concentrate on their body as both massive sparks and strong winds circled each respective weapon on them.

'… _! Child, quick! I request of you to hold me up like in the end of my awakening, or else we'll both be gone in a few seconds!'_ Luna was freaking out in my mind, but I hurriedly did as asked. But now I could see why.

"The thunder that roars over the skies…" / "And the wind that travels over the plains…" The stature, the movement, the **massive** amounts of energy flowing in their weapons, it was all a clue to what would happen next. A Unison Raid… _'Jessica, for this final spell I'll need your assistance. Any, and I mean_ ** _any_** _bit of magical energy that is left in your body…focus it on me!'_

"With the wind following its path…" / "And the lightning that cuts all storms…" I charged **everything** that was inside me in terms of magical energy into Luna. When I was almost completely drained, I couldn't charge more into her. But given the speck of light that shone immensely from the middle of the blade and a bit of said energy flowing around me, I must've been done. _'Speak after me, loud and clearly!'_

"Will cut through all obstacles ahead!" / "While moving away anything from its path!" The torrent of energy inside the blade was stronger than ever before, and beckoned me to be released. "The full moon rises and shines above all lights in the vast galaxies…my strength and will combined shall pierce the darkness and reveal the truth to its bearer!" _'Speak out the spell's name you're guiding_ _as loud as you can and swing with all of your might, NOW!'_

* * *

Before the siblings appeared two magic circles, both of them in their own magic's color before they overlapped while in front of the young mage was a dark-green magic circle with a full moon in its middle.

And not one second too late, all 3 of them casted their spells…in hopes of winning this battle.

"' **UNISON RAID: DEMISE'S CALLING '!**" / "' **ABYSSAL COSMOS MAGIC: AURORA ARCADE SWING '!"**

...

 _(Stop playing 'Dark Souls III Soundtrack OST – Slave Knight Gael [The Ringed City]' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Sorry my beloved readers, but you know the drill. Cliffhangers are just my style, and well, I just enjoy writing this story like I'd do. So until the next Chapter, you have a wonderful day/night!_

 _The Sir's out!_


	12. Blurred Lines

_Before I start writing out this Chapter, I want to take a moment to express my happiness towards everybody! When I got up this morning, I looked at the properties for 'Daylight's End' and…holy **** was I happy when the views-counter cracked the 1000 mark. I knew that some people were interested in reading this, but that you're actually coming back to read the story's new releases makes this so much better. Thank you ladies and gentlemen for this…any may this story entertain you in the future._

* * *

 _Welcome everybody! I hope you're ready, because the next Chapter is live now!_

Luna: _'Not to interrupt your enthusiasm, but they know that already since…you know…uploaded it?'_

 _Okay…yeah. I'm just happy today. Also, how are you talking with me right now? Your mouth isn't moving but I can hear still your voice._

Luna: *Taps her own head while smirking* _'I am an entity that is a few millennial old. Over time you do learn some helpful things~. And to not forget it, I can technically "talk" with any person I'd desire, but normally I chose to only do it with the wielder of the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' or Jessica in other words.'_

 _Well, I'm more than glad that you then decide to talk with…well, me. Care to…maybe teach me how to do that?_

Luna: _'…Are you really ready to learn this for over a few hundred years?'_

 _Hmmm, I'm not sure how- WHAT DO YOU MEAN WITH A "FEW" HUNDRED YEARS!?_

Luna: _'Putting the fact that you aren't my current wielder into consideration you'd try to learn this ability by yourself. I couldn't grant you any advice even if I'd wish to.'_

 _*Sulks* Not…even a small hint?_

Luna: _'I_ _am_ _technically helping you out by talking with you…so, no.'_

 _By the way, do you want to do the disclaimer for us today?_

Luna: _'Well, this will be a problem, considering that I'd have to communicate with every reader…but my reserves shall suffice, so alright.'_ *Turns towards the readers* *Closes her eyes in concentration* _'Everybody…the tale that you're reading at this time is currently in the possession of MrFiretank. Any OC that was created by his ideas does also fall under this.'_ *Turns back* _'I've completed the disclaimer like it's required.'_

 _Thank you for that. Alright then, and without further ado…_

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

…

 **CHAPTER 12 – BLURRED LINES**

* * *

It was dark again…but I felt pain in my body…

"Is she finally up again? We can't dawdle around anymore!"

I heard voices beside me, apparently that was…Sietta talking?

"…She's still resting. Calm down…"

And that was Yorc...my sight is getting better, I could now make out blurred figures standing and sitting…above me…

"I know that Jessica is still isn't up! But with every day that we are here they will prepare themselves even further!"

I slowly tried to sit myself upright…'OWW!' only to feel an intense pain going through my left arm which supported my current weight. The others jerked at my hiss and reacted…by pushing me down and scolding me.

"Oy! Don't get up just like that! You're going to hurt yourself like this!" 'Weren't you the one who wanted to move on just before that?' With an almost unnoticeable deadpan I laid myself back on the makeshift bed in the carriage that I was currently in. Yorc sat in the same spot from before our fight and had bandages wrapped around his arms. Sietta had a bandage around her forehead and her hands, and I swear that I saw the glimpse of a treated wound on her belly. The make-shift armor she wore still had the slits and cuts in it and her trident was changed for a halberd… 'Who knew that she could wield multiple weapons like that?'

"Sietta, what…happened to your trident?" She gave me a confused glance before looking at her new weapon of choice and chuckled before replying.

"Well, if you don't remember, that old piece of scrap got trashed in my fight with this… **mage.** Anyway, I know how to fight with more than that thing, so don't worry about it!" The amount of distain that was in her voice when presumably talking about Fujimaru was intimidating. Her tone could easily rival Erza…not to forget that they have a few similarities…

"…We're glad that you're up. Took you a while…" Was that sarcasm that I hear from you Yorc!? Wow, he must be really happy for me then. I saw him standing up before handing me a familiar looking object.

"…You dropped it after the battle. I made sure that it wasn't left behind…" He held out my 'Holy Moonlight Sword' in its released state while I tried to grab the handle. Emphasis on 'tried' as the same stinging sensation shot up from my left arm. So before I did anything else I made sure that my upper body was upright before attempting to grab her again. And yes, since Luna was a female entity I'll respective call her so.

 _*Chuckle* 'I'm glad to hear that you've at least kept your manners.'_ Luna's familiar voice reached my mind when the sword was back in my possession.

"At least you're safe in my hands now, Luna." I must have proved to be a weird sight due to me looking at the bandaged blade and even talking to it…which made Sietta and Yorc look with a raised eyebrow at me. Sietta even sported a small grimace.

"Uh…Yorc? You sure that she didn't hit her head or something?" She had taken a step back from me…slowly and was on high alert. Yorc looked between me, Luna and Sietta and then shook his head while giving her some free space.

"…No, not that I know of." With that he closed his eyes in concentration while leaning against the carriage's interior. Even he was confused by this action, but decided to probably not question in further.

"…Alright. Jessica! Why are you talking with your sword!? Stop it, that's **creepy!** " She was backing away further now and the confusion in her face was switched with…I don't know what but she defiantly was trying to get away from me now…

' _Maybe I should reassure her that your mental stability is still in place…would you agree with that?'_ Luna's visage had a little frown on it, but she also seemed…protective? Yeah, I forgot, I already think of like that…might as well accept it.

"Jessica? **Jessica!** Stop spacing out, that's not normal!" Sietta was now at the exit of the carriage and was with one foot on the path's ground. Her face seemed unsure on what to make of me.

' _I can assure you that my keeper's mental capability is perfectly fine, Sietta.'_ I heard Luna speak out, but Sietta froze on the spot and looked around, trying to find the ghostly voice's position.

"W-Who s-said that!? **S-Show yourself!** " She started to panic and still looked everywhere, even going so far and looking outside of the carriage and tried to find…something. After a full minute she stayed before the carriage's port and regained her breath…only to freeze up and slowly turn towards me...and just stared at Luna.

"…You know what? After everything that happened up to now, I won't question how that is supposed to work." And with that she walked to a second make-shift bed that was at my right side while depositing her halberd on the ground with a loud clack.

' _Thank you for your understanding.'_ Luna had a happy smile on her mental expression while glancing at me with a wink. 'If it wasn't for her I might have already been stamped as a lunatic by her…OH GOD, WHY DID I JUST MAKE A PUN!?'

Sietta had her eyes closed while laying down, but she just waved at me and Luna (who was laughing uncontrollably at my bad joke…) _'Haha! I wouldn't call this joke "bad" Jessica! Hehe…even it wasn't intentional, I am impressed that you used my alias for that.'_ "It's alright…just…after everything that happened in the last days, I just want to lie down and get my rest for now…night everyone." And with that down she was already sleeping. Now to only find out-

Wait, **days!?** Plural!? How long was I out!?

' _If you may relax and sit down, I can retell the events of our last spent days.'_ I was still nervous, but complied anyways. When I sat on the knapsack that I got for this journey, Luna's expression softened before speaking up. _'The last days went similar like this…'_

* * *

Before the siblings appeared two magic circles, both of them in their own magic's color before they overlapped while in front of the young mage was a dark-green magic circle with a full moon in its middle.

And not one second too late, all 3 of them casted their spells…in hopes of winning this battle.

" **' UNISON RAID: DEMISE'S CALLING'!**" / " **' ABYSSAL COSMOS MAGIC: AURORA ARCADE SWING'!**"

The twins launched a circular tornado forward while lightning was surging around and in its wind. Loeyur's mage fired a surge of aurora-green magical energy that traveled with incredible speed at her opponent. The glorified whirlwind collided with the unregularly wave of energy and both spells stopped in the middle of their positions. But after a few second the 'Aurora Arcade Swing' steadily broke through the eye of the storm. Their attacks again traveled forwards and they both hit their mark.

Jessica's last attack fully impacted with Matsuri and Fujimaru in a glorious blast of dark-green energy. They couldn't keep themselves upright after the blast and got knocked out from the combined spell's effects. They dropped unconscious while 'Raijin' and 'Shinatobe' fell to the dirt ground.

'Demise's Calling' got mostly absorbed by the void energy-portion of Luna's 'Abyssal Cosmos Magic'. However, the attack still flew towards the now drained mage and connected with her left arm. With a pain induced scream the girl got knocked away a few feet before landing unconscious on her back while her 'Holy Moonlight Sword' shifted back in her right hand into the old looking weapon everyone previously knew. When everything became silent the chief of Loeyur's forces screamed into the air.

"What are you waiting for you idiots!? We have an injured ally and two knocked out enemies before our feet! Take care of both of everything **NOW**!" Sietta, who now held a sleeping Trecht over her shoulders with the help of her 2nd-in-command was becoming drained herself, but was only thinking about Jessica at that time.

"AH, yes chief!" Both Squad 1 and 2 ran towards the calm battlefield and picked up all 3 people that lied on the ground. They brought Jessica towards the back carriage and started treating her injuries. Even though she was only hit by that single weakened spell, it was still a Unison Raid which caused quite some damage. The left sleeve of her entire arm was shredded while the arm itself was covered in cuts and blood. Luckily they brought big amounts of medical supplies, so they had no trouble dealing with that.

The 'Full Blood' mages got carried into the middle carriage and got cuffed by their hands to ensure that escape attempts were out of the question. Their weapons got taken away by Trecht, who woke up hours later with bandages all over his body. His left arm was in a sling because of the stabbing wound from Matsuri, who (when they woke up the next day) just gave a sad grin while apologizing to him. He wasn't really buying it…but for the sake of formality accepted it anyways.

Yorc and Sietta decided that they'd both keep watch of Jessica while recovering themselves. When one of the village-watchers asked them to why they are doing this (even though it was unnecessary) Sietta replied in a quiet voice:

"If it wasn't for Jessica, we'd all not stand here right now. That's what we owe her **at least** for her bravery." Her partner nodded with a somber stare. They both weren't if they should be grateful or sad of the battle's result. Sure, they had just beaten two of the strongest mages of Dark Guild, but at the price of their friend (who was just 13 years old… **13!** ) getting injured and experiencing such pain…they really couldn't smile about this win.

Trecht stayed silent for the first day after their brawl and only moved really to watch the captured duo. It was easily noticeable that he felt depressed over Jessica's health. He did fight long enough to protect everyone from the mages, but in the end she only took the only real heavy blow.

Even Luna stayed more silent than regularly. When her wielder would usually sleep or rest, she'd think to herself on either more ways to teach them or think to herself about latest events. But after her spell wasn't enough to keep her c-…her keeper safe, she stayed put while staying in the carriage…not that she had much of a choice really. But she'd look sometimes over to the unconscious mage and hope that she'd recover soon.

Nobody knew about this, but even the siblings weren't like themselves. Fujimaru would always stare at the ground when their keeper was present while Matsuri was straight up frowning. There actually were rumors that after the first day that her eyes seemed slightly red…

This wave of depression hang over the situation based camp for 3 days now…

* * *

' _And now you finally regained consciousness…it'd be an understatement to say that we're glad for this turn of events.'_ For the entire explanation Luna's tone was slightly down…but it gained a happy edge when it ended. I wasn't aware of how much of impact my injury would have towards their morale, but I defiantly missed that entirely.

"She's awake!?" And that was the distant call of the only brewer in the group who seconds after his exclamation ran towards the carriage I was in, and…whoa.

Both of his arms and parts under his shirt had been bandaged. He had a sling for his left arm, just like Luna explained and entire forehead was covered as well…but it seemed like he didn't care as he just climbed into the cargo hold of the carriage and-'UGH?!' _'Huh!?'_

Before I could even comprehend with what just happened to him I got drawn into a death hug by him. He sure had strength as my lungs started to fail on me and my face turned blue. 'Stop suffocating me Trecht!'

' _Uhm…Mister Trecht…you might want to release my holder, or I won't have one remaining…'_ Just like that Trecht let go of me (which caused me to fall onto the wood ground on my bum) and had pretty much the same reaction like Sietta, which consisted of looking around while staring like a goldfish.

"Uhm…is anyone there?" But unlike Sietta he only took a couple of seconds until he eyed Luna's unreleased form and smirked slightly while grabbing her from my hand (of course he asked before doing so). "So…you're the one who helped the kid out of there, eh?"

' _That would be correct…although I couldn't have done so if she weren't to possess any magical energy that'd suffice for my spells.'_ I could feel her form giving me a wink while slightly smiling. Well, I'm grateful that she notices my effort at least.

Trecht just smiled at the blade before giving me my 'Holy Moonlight Sword' back. Even though he wasn't speaking I felt as if he just thanked her for something…maybe.

"Well, since you're up now, why not grab a bite? The ex-cooks went hunting an hour ago and are currently grilling up their catch. You up for that, kid?" My stomach was instantly protesting at that and caused me to blush (which I tried to hide while turning away) and made Trecht chuckle. He then heaved me upwards by grabbing my uninjured arm with his single usable hand and then waved towards to cargo's opening. I silently followed him, Luna in hand and a feast ahead.

* * *

Fujimaru wasn't sure what to do right now. After they got both knocked out by that girl's magic they woke up in one of the carriages, presumably the center one. Their weapons were nowhere to be seen and both his and her sisters hands had been cuffed so that they couldn't escape. Not…like they felt like it.

Both of them sat pretty still for the duration of their 3 days, just barely moving or saying anything. After their first day they still sat there, which caused the sibling's keeper to raise an eyebrow and walk away. 10 Minutes afterwards he returned with the redhead's partner who eyed them for a second before turning to their keeper.

"I don't know why, but they haven't really done anything! They just…sit there and look depressed like the rest of us…" He trailed off as they both looked at himself and then to Matsuri…

Ah Matsuri…out of the two of them, the fight took the most from her. Both of their physical conditions could be considered fine, but mentally she was defiantly shaken. The first night she cried herself to sleep while mumbling to herself…their job left a lot of mental scars and both dealt differently with it. He would silently pray to himself for their victims' safety at wherever they could be at the time while Matsuri would ask openly for forgiveness (often to herself when being alone, but sometimes she'd have nightmares about their numerous encounters). 'She must have been thinking about her.' That night he comforted her as much as he could, but she'd still cry for a few hours until calming down.

The silent swordsman from Loeyur stared at them for what seemed to be ages before nodding towards their guard. He then walked up to the two of them with his arms behind his back. He couldn't read his expression, so he instantly steeled his expression while Matsuri closed her eyes and looked down to the ground.

When he stood before them the male mage tensed slightly (which he tried to hide) when Yorc moved his right hand to his side, revealing…the keys for their cuffs? Instead of intimidating them, he unlocked their cuffs and took them before taking a step back, letting his…prisoners…stand up and rub their wrists.

"Uh…not to be distrustful…but why did you do that?" His sibling still stared at the ground with her now open eyes. From the spot beside her he could easily spot the slightly red eyes and the dried tears that stained them. They both you weren't sure how to react like that, but waited for a while before the man before them spoke up:

"…I don't think you wanted to fight us…You aren't like…them." With that they stared wide-eyed at their enemy who…unforeseen decided to free them. A person, which the siblings got ordered to kill if necessary just gave them their freedom. Matsuri was probably not sure how to react, but he had his resolve confirmed. He just silently sat down again while closing his eyes and crossing his arms.

The other two people beside them rose an eyebrow until he decided to explain his last actions (while still having his eyes closed)…

"You have beaten us before we could fulfill our task…so we won't turn our hands against you again. We got ordered to only kill the mage, but had been given permission to execute anyone who'd aid her. Yet…we got beaten, which caused us to fail said task, so our purpose is gone with this as well." He didn't see it, but her sister silently agreed and copied her brother's actions. Yorc wasn't sure what to make of these two, but accepted it without any objections.

During the next days they said in the same spots, barely ever moving or talking with others besides themselves. They'd only move for their needs such as food, water and etc. It took a while for the village-watchers to adjust to this (especially Sietta who started to freak out when they got spotted first, but after realizing that they wouldn't mean any harm they just let them be.

Currently they silently talked to each other about the latest events again, and couldn't decide on what to do now.

"Even if we come back now, Dao's going to have our heads anyway…" There was a glint of fear in her eyes, but otherwise the expression on her face stayed neutral. After the 3 days she was just exhausted…both of them were to be exact. With no real place to really go they decided to just stay here and…"hope" for the best.

"True. But what about Duvac? When we don't return, he'll label him as a traitor and possibly…" Fujimaru trailed off, since he couldn't bear the thought of one of his only friends in this gloomy life to disappear. He knew that 'Full Blood's' advisor was strong in his own right, but…against their leader all seemed kind of hopeless.

"…Yeah…I am honestly not sure what to do…" They both looked down and tried to think of how to get out of this situation. Their backs against a wall and their only friend with one step before the gallows…

"Maybe...getting something to eat first would be a start?"

* * *

I wasn't really sure how to approach these two. I mean, while we were eating outside at a camp fire Yorc told me of the 'former' enemy mages. According to him, they don't hold anymore malice and simply just sit where they got dumped at almost half a week ago. So…seeing as I was as socially skilled as a rock I simply asked for two plates of steaming hot meat with mashed potatoes and walked to the middle carriage.

While stepping in, I saw that Yorc wasn't taking this lightly. Both of the siblings looked down with that same stare on both of their faces. I really didn't want to interrupt them, but I wouldn't let them starve as well. With that, I lightly coughed while speaking (or…rather whispering) up.

"Maybe...getting something to eat first would be a start? They both looked at me and stared for a while…and stared…and kept staring. I was a social introvert, so seeing as my nervousness was getting the better of me, I placed both placed the plates with wooden cutlery before them.

"Uhm…I heard that you were both just…sitting here. So I thought that you…might want something to eat?" And lust like that their stares got traded for a chuckle from Matsuri while Fujimaru was…thinking over something.

"Oh, Jess. He…to think that you'd be so kind to us, even after our…well, failed assassination attempt." She tried to lightly laugh at that, but her face was covered in pretty much the same nervousness while one of her hands was rubbing the back of her head.

"But why are you like this?" My gaze followed towards the azure-blue gaze of the mage's eyes who crossed his arms while looking towards their food. "Why are you still kind to us, even after we tried to simply kill you?"

Why was I actually like this? Sure, maybe I could say that I was being nice to them and could have left it at that. But…during our fight, there had been a few…well, signs to so say. It didn't took a genius to figure out that they seemed troubled with their given "task". And even if they did try to kill, they weren't really evil in my eyes.

"…I was down for over the course of 3 days and your binds got removed on the first one. You could have escaped, you could have injured Loeyur's forces, and you could have even finished your task during the time. But no, both of you kept your promise and let us be. So I have no real reason to hold any prejudice against you. You are part of 'Full Blood', and nobody can deny that. But from everything that I've been told of so far, you two are least of the evils that were described." I let those words sink in after the vacuum of silence washed over and looked at them both.

Their faces seemed conflicted for a minute, before they turned. Fujimaru seemed to accept this fact with some sort of understanding in his facial expression, while Matsuri-

"OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU AND THANK YOU JESS~! I'M GLAD THAT YOU AREN'T MAD AT US!" …has just randomly decided to HUG ME TO DEATH! 'WHY IS EVERYONE DOING THIS TODAY!?' I was glad that Luna stayed in Yorc's hands or otherwise she'd stamp her off as…more that weird. I desperately tried to push her off of me, but after some seconds she got the message and let me go while smiling brightly. 'Seems like she is back to happy-sappy after all…'

"I can't deny that your mindset is…different to say the least." Her brother stood up again and now sported a small smile. His eyes looked into mine, but the seriousness in them was completely gone. "But…I also can't deny that we're grateful for your openness. So, why don't we start off again at better terms?" He then put his right hand in front of me while having Matsuri happily smirked. "My full name is Fujimaru Hogosha, a mage for the Dark Guild 'Full Blood' and use Lightning Magic in combination of my weapon 'Raijin'." I took his offered handshake and politely stared at him directly, before my hand was taken away by the bubbly mage besides him.

"And mine's Matsuri Hogosha! If it isn't obvious, we're siblings, even twins! I have the same "occupation" as my brother here, and we two are part of the special team 'Kirin'~! I focus on Wind Magic and I pretty much go nowhere without my rapier 'Shinatobe'!" She enclosed my hand with her own ones and shook it rapidly, causing my hand to ache when she let go. Then she grinned wildly before putting her hand behind her back and grabbing 'Shinatobe' which wa- 'WHERE DID SHE GET THAT!?' I desperately looked at her twin brother for answers, who just gave a word as reply:

"Requip." Then in a small flash the same menacing sword appeared in his hands appeared, or 'Raijin' as he dubbed it. I unconsciously took a step and, and as he eyed me (or rather my slowly panicking face) he quickly dispelled of it with the same flash of light. 'W-Well…that explains a few things.'

"Uhm…I'm sorry for that. It wasn't in my intention to scare you." He quickly apologized and looked slightly panicked, but I waved him off before he could blame himself even further. Matsuri actually laughed at the display while dispelling of her own weapon.

"Ha Ha! I didn't think that his sword would make you so afraid Jess~!" 'Yea, **you** try to not get a heart-attack when spotting such a weapon for the first time in your life! …And Luna doesn't count, she's at least nice…' With a…rather pathetic display of my age (which consisted of pouting while looking away and crossing my arms with a huff) I tried to avoid what just happened.

"Aww! You're so adorable like that! Aren't you just a cutie~?" Matsuri didn't took my reaction the way I intended to and started to pinch on my cheeks, which made me fluster and instantly back off from her. 'Ok, she's pretty much a semi-Hana. Just…more productive?'

In a white void, somewhere in the realms of heaven was a lone strawberry-blond guardian angel who was on her way to some friends of her. She was currently thinking on a way on how to great them in a unique manner (which was quite difficult, considering she'd always have something new in her sleeve) before she suddenly sneezed and looked around afterwards.

"Huh? Uh…seems like she's already getting lonely without me." She then put her hands behind her head while marching ahead in the white realm.

"Maybe I'll visit her once she gets done with her own problems. Yeah, I probably should~!"

'Well, but she defiantly seems more…childish? Whatever, there's another time to think of this. But…maybe I could ask them now.' I tensed before actually speaking up, yet Matsuri (who was still beside me) saw my sudden shift in emotions and actually put a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I looked at her and saw a solid, yet soft smile on her face. I knew that this was important, and my mind wasn't sure if it was right to address this question, but I had to (after everything that happened). So, with a deep breather my mouth responded and finally opened:

"You…didn't want to really do this...didn't you?" My lower bit was starting to slightly hurt from the pressure of my teeth biting on them. My hands got slightly sweaty and I really, really wanted to walk out and apologize for being so blunt to them. But Fujimaru stopped me she same way as I did before, by putting a hand up and signalizing that it was alright.

"*Sigh* I guess we owe you at least this much. To be honest…no, neither you nor any other person that got assigned as our target was in our intention to…kill. We don't want to do this, really. But…because of our **leader** we don't have a choice." There was a deep scowl on him and you could literally feel the hate in his own voice when speaking about that guy.

Matsuri instantly was trying to calm her brother down, and it seemed to work for a moment before he collected himself and put his neutral expression back on his face.

"Let us tell you…if we had a choice, we wouldn't have complied said task." He was looking down at the ground again with both of his hands hanging still at his sides. There was genuine grief in his face now…and it seemed to affect Matsuri as well, since her face looked the same there.

…God…I'm sure that Loeyur's forces will not like this, but…

"Then…how about this?" They gave me questionable stares in reply, but didn't comment on what I was currently doing. Instead of Fujimaru, I extended my own hand towards them and gave a confident smile before asking the million-dollar question:

"Why don't we fight against them together?"

...

"..."

...

" **WHAT!?"** / **"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"**

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Well, folks! This is getting interesting! Jessica actually wants to get the two of them onboard for their liberation! What do you think about this, 'G'?_

'G': "Well, I'm not sure about her decision. But, we allowed her to choose for herself, so I won't question it."

 _Me as well, but let's hope that this turns out well in the next Chapter soon! And as always, a good day / night and,_

 _The Sir's out!_


	13. Side by Side (unite)

_So, I guess that there had to be some confusion for the sudden gap in Chapters. You see, remember how I warned you all about the number of written posts decreasing once my school time resumes? Well, guess what? It actually happened…yeah…so from now I'll write in a rather decreased pace. From 3 days prior I'll maybe manage to post a Chapter each week from now on. I'm sorry to everyone that follows this story and hope that you'll not be too effected by this change. Anyways, we'll continue the story now. Please enjoy this next release everyone and have fun reading!_

* * *

Matsuri: "Oh hello everybody~! How are you doing?" *Waves rapidly at the audience*

Fujimaru: *Puts a hand on Matsuri's shoulder* "Calm down, please. We're here for a reason."

Matsuri: "Oh…you're right~! If you're asking yourselves where our buddy Fire is right now, he is over at another dimension…timeline…or something! It's too confusing!" *Shakes head*

Fujimaru: "It really is, but in short: Today we'll do the disclaimer and the 'Review's corner'. Well, I am supposed to, but…" *Grabs envelope labeled with **'PersonaUserOrpheus3245'** *

'In the background a furnace appears out of nowhere which is currently active…'

Matsuri: "We don't want any meanies over here in this story! People like you just want to ruin our fun!" *Pouts* "You didn't even read the story and just posted this at Chapter 1! Boo!" *Cries out* "Also Jess isn't here as a self-insert! Jess is JESS, and not Fire!"

Fujimaru: "She's right. But to be exact, we don't have any need for Haters or Flamers over here. You are welcome to read this story for your own entertainment and aren't bound by any means necessary to continue doing so. You can leave anytime you want and read other stories that might appeal you more. And yet-" *Opens the furnace's cover with one hand while holding the envelope with another*

Fujimaru: "We'd respect it if you keep your 'insults' to yourself. We aren't sure if you thought that the story was bad, if you don't enjoy certain fics or if you have a regular hate for 'OC'-stories. The fact is: We don't care since we won't judge. But if you are trying to bad mouth other people who just want to write for fun, then we, Fire and anyone else will draw a line." *Throws envelope into the fire in the furnace*

Fujimaru: "This'll be a warning for everyone else and also includes every reader who visited before this post: Should you try to insult, flame or simply bad mouth this story without proper reasoning, then we'll report the user and ignore his comments. Additionally, we'll block any user who tries to unreasonably bad mouth 'Daylight's End' and/or any other story in the future. That'll be all."

Matsuri: "Good! Now can I finally do the disclaimer Fuji? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can I? Can-"

Fujimaru: "Yes, YES you can! Just do it already so that the story might continue now."

Matsuri: "YEAH~! THANK YOU FUJI~!" *Glomps Fujimaru*

Fujimaru: "Ghhk!"

Matsuri: *Lets go of Fujimaru and runs to the readers* "Hello everybody! Before you're moving on with this tiny little piece of fanfiction, I wanted to tell you something IMPORTANT~!" *Whispers to the readers* "This story is currently in possession of Fire right now. Also, we're being owned by him as well, but not as...like slaves or so. Any rights revolting around such things ('Daylight's End' and its current OC's) are held by him."

Fujimaru: "Thank you." *Dusts his kimono off* "Now, with nothing else left to do, we'll continue with this current post of the story."

Matsuri: "¡Hasta luego! (Until Later!)"

Fujimaru: "Uh…what did you say?"

Matsuri: *Stares innocent at Fujimaru* "That was Spanish! Uhm…Why did you ask?"

Fujimaru: "What is Spanish?"

Matsuri: "Spanish? What is that?" *Blinks*

Fujimaru: "…Forget that I asked."

Matsuri: "Okie Fuji~! Also, a special shoutout to **KaylaEvergreen** for giving our dear Fire some advice and helping him to openly improve his story! Stay awesome Kaylie~!"

…

 **CHAPTER 13 – SIDE BY SIDE (UNITE)**

* * *

" **WHAT!?"** / **"ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"**

Before I could actually form a logical response (or get the ringing from their combined volume out of my ears), a few things happened:

First off, I flopped down on my back from jumping backwards at their cry. Get this, it was the reaction out of nowhere that got me, not the callout itself. Don't judge me! I didn't expect this!

Simultaneously, faint footsteps could be heard from the outside which got louder by the second. Somebody seemed to have heard their yell and was rushing towards the middle carriage. My lone thought was true because just as I got up there was Trecht standing outside with a furious expression on his face and a wooden sledgehammer in his hands. 'He looks ready to lunge at them and beat them mercilessly! Crap!'

"Ok, what did you two pigs do to the kid!?" He was really furious and jumped into the carriage which caused the floor to shake heavily. 'Come on, I just recovered!' Trecht then snarled at them before taking a huge swing for Fujimaru's head (who was still shocked from my offer, thus staying frozen)…if it wasn't for myself still standing between them. Seeing as this was a really misinterpreted situation, I did another stupid act of heroicness…by standing before them with both arms outstretched to the side like a meat shield.

 _'Heroic? Rather plausible. But smart? It doesn't se-'_ 'NOT helping, Luna!'

"What are you doing, kid!? Step aside already or they'll hurt you even more!" Stating that he wasn't too happy with my idea was a far understatement. I had to admit myself that doing this took my entire nerves. I was this close to shaking from the tension of this conflict, but I had to defuse this fast. Otherwise, there'll be injured and non-required casualties soon.

"Calm down, Trecht! They didn't hurt me! I just tripped and fell down, see?" I turned my body around and showed him my arms to prove that there weren't any injures besides the already existing ones from the fight. Luckily there weren't any bruises forming from my sudden clumsiness that might have put Loeyur's brewer into high alert.

Considering this first, he stared at me and then at the twins (with slightly more malice) before sighing. "Damn, alright. Don't scare the crap out of us again please." His posture still seemed tense, but he wasn't angry anymore. 'Crisis averted.' _'For now at least…'_ 'Huh? What do you mean?'

"Y-Y-You aren't serious about your offer, are you!?" 'Oh shoot.' Seems like life has a funny way of mocking me, because Fujimaru (who finally registered my words) was looking at me with surprise and confusion. And if the timing couldn't get better, he said it while Trecht was behind me. _'You'll have to explain that to him soon, child.'_

"…Jessica, what is he talking about?" _'And I suggest that you may use your words wisely, considering his...current emotions.'_ It didn't take me being a genius (or a dunce in either case) to feel Trecht now glaring at the back of my head. I was sweating like crazy now…uhm, do you know how it looks like when people are scared shitless in anime? Yea, take that mental image and replace the mentioned character with me and you get a general mental image of the situation.

"Uhm…I-I offered them t-t-t-t-o-o…" My entire body was shaking at this point, but I couldn't help it! I **felt** his killing intent from behind my back like it was about to murder me any second! _'If you don't want it to lead to the mentioned outcome, then please finish your response…I'd rather not lose my new holder in less than a week.'_

'AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT HELPING MY NERVES, LUNA!' Okay, I was freaking out on the inside…no, scratch that! I was having a mental breakdown at the same time! J-Just say it and I'll be done with it…right?

"T-t-t-o-o…offer…them…a-a…alliance?" The last word was spoken out in less than a whisper, but even with such an low volume there was no way he misheard me… 'Maybe he'll let me off the hook?'

 ***WHACK*** *Thud*

" **YOU DID WHAT!?"** _'Sadly not…'_ For all fans of Garp out there, remember his infamous "Fist of Love"? I earned myself the equivalent one for my actions…but without the love-part. So here I was, lying on the ground, twitching with a brand-new bump resting on my head. 'Ow…'

"Wait! Hold on, Trechty!" Luckily Matsuri intervened before my head could sprout anymore inflicted bumps. Fujimaru was holding the angry brewer a few ways away from me while her sister helped me up again. When my vision returned after a moment of shouting and shifting feet, I saw the before mentioned mages pinning down Trecht who (in return) was trying his best to break out of their combined hold.

"Let! Go off me! Also, kid! Why did you think this was a good idea in the first place!?" He wasn't calming down in the slightest sense and was still wiggling around in a rather sad attempt to stand up. Matsuri was starting to have trouble in keeping him still, but her brother wasn't even breaking a sweat. He looked perfectly calm as he speaking up.

"Because we have the same ideals."…And just like that Trecht froze. I mean, words couldn't express the shock that was written all over his face. I don't know if he believed his words, but both I and Matsuri could tell that he was being honest.

"…B-But what about your attack!? Why did you try to go for the kid's head then!?" Loeyur's brewer wasn't totally mad anymore but there was still doubt in his voice. It was understandable (If anyone else was in his position), yet he didn't read the twins' body language during the ambush at all. Speaking of the twins, they looked each other silently until they nodded any stepped away from Trecht. He rubbed his forearms from the (not so gentle) grip while both of 'Full Blood's' mages pulled up their kimono's sleeves to reveal…*Gasp*

'… ** _That_** _…is ''Full Blood's' guild mark…?'_

Mind you, I know how a 'normal' guild mark was supposed to look like. Usually you would receive one with some sort of a stamp like the one used over at 'Fairy Tail'. With the assistance of magic the guild mark would be put wherever you desired in the wished color. But their marks…they were **nothing** like that.

The first thing that came into my mind when looking at the small but unmistakable guild mark was a branding iron. On both of their respective wrists (the same side where their shoulder guard was placed on) was a swirl that looked similar to a maelstrom with a small dagger piercing the middle of it. But unlike a guild mark with normal colors, it was in a nasty looking black-red that reminded me of dried, burned and charred flesh. The mark was right over their arteries…and looking on both of their hands shaking slightly already proved Fujimaru's statement.

"We…aren't doing this because we want to." He motioned at his sister with the free hand and then repeated the gesture with himself. "Due to…certain events in the past we got forced to become a part of that Dark Guild. Never have we wanted to complete any of the tasks given from our…'captor'. But we don't have a choice. Every day we bare this horrid mark on our skins and get reminded of the ones who never deserved to die…of the ones that look down upon our request of peace."

Fujimaru walks a few steps forward before stopping a foot away from Trecht while extending his hand forward. "Unlike the actual members we tend to avoid violence at every possibility while we can. That's why we never went in for the kill against any of your other friends. Since Jessica was our only priority, she was the only person who wouldn't have walked back alive if it wasn't for your monumental support. I know that probably everyone…and you included couldn't forgive us for our actions. But at least for now-"

Matsuri almost crashes into her brother when energetically extending her own hand to Trecht in a copied request for a handshake. "We are done with being on his leash now! You guys are really nice and Jess over here only wants to do good things! So we're ready to kick some meanies blue and purple out there! What do you say Trechty, friends~?"

* * *

Trecht wasn't sure what to make of this situation…on one hand he wanted to rip off the kid's head for her recklessness. But on the other hand they truly needed help right now. Because of the enemy mage's ambush they lost valuable time for preparation that they couldn't recover anymore. Yet, here they were…standing before him with a neutral expression (or a pretty wide smile on the girl of the two) and offering their assistance.

' _If I may input my own thoughts, Mister Trecht…'_ The voice of Luna rang in his mind, but he kept himself still to not alert anyone else by looking straight ahead. _'I can sense the intentions of these two individuals before us and am able tell that they hold no malice towards us. Even if they tried to…eliminate my holder, they weren't doing these actions on their own will. Jessica sensed this already, so I might suggest that you allow the twins to redeem themselves.'_

He is really weighing his options right now. The two before him had put over half of their forces out of commotion for more than a day, forced them to delay their plans and pretty much attempted murder on someone who was just 13 years old…but said people also got forced to do these things and weren't truly evil. He looks with a regular side-glance at Jessica with her 'Holy Moonlight Sword' or Luna in her right hand. She gives him a soundless nod which confirmed his decision.

"You know, our chief won't be too happy about this…" Yet he moves his hands before him and gave both of the individual twins (much too their surprise) a firm handshake. "…But I trust you with this decision, kid. We are all against those pigs, so I'm ok with them teaming up…no offence for the name by the way."

"None taken, Trechty~!" He wasn't sure if the blond was faking her perky attitude, or just behaved plain creepy like this, but he wouldn't ask further…maybe stay a few inches away from her in the near future, but nothing el- 'Wait a minute!'

"OI! I'm called Trecht, Trecht! Get it right, girl!" He already corrected that girl once and now she just plain ignores that!? What is she thinking!? 'No way will I let myself be called **that**! I have my name for a reason and that nickname creeps me out!'

Her twin moved towards him and put his hand on the brewer's shoulder who started to actually turn slightly gloomy from the lacking response from the girl. "I know how it feels and I'm sorry for you. She always does this, but it never contains any bad intentions when she picks a nickname for you-"

"I just enjoy calling them like this, right Fuji~? Trechty~?" '*Sigh* This girl will be my mental death cause…' At least he had a partner for the unhappy expression on his face as her brother copied the brewer's own look onto his façade. With no time left to waste anymore, he then sighed again before turning to Loeyur's mage.

"I'll go tell Sietta about this. Don't worry though, with Yorc on her side she'll not snap at us for this turn of events…hopefully..." Afterwards he walks out of the carriage and towards the camp fire where Sietta was still nibbling on some grilled fish…and also prayed to forget that horrid nickname.

* * *

Matsuri was glad that the worst is over now. The uncomfortable position in the carriage kept her actual rest to a minimum while her deeply grieved mentality took a hit from their last actions, so this huge turn-around will be a blessing for her. The twins watched together as Jessica's friend left while they stayed silent before he was out of hearing range. The perky mage then looked fondly at their savior (and now partner-at-arms for others), but too her she was already much more than that.

With slow and unusually calculated steps she strides towards the raven-haired girl. Now she could actually take a closer look at the other girl. Her raven-haired bangs covered one of the similarly blue eyes. The clothes seemed…unusual, if you could count an oversized white t-shirt and that rather weird grey jacket.

'Not like we two could say that, given that our clothes are as unusual as it gets~.' A small, dusted black wool cap was covering her head (which would be unnoticeable from the distance). The pants must have seen better days, since there were holes and ripped parts all over the fabric. Additionally, both of her holder boots in a black-and-silver combination and the powerful sword were on her. 'All in all, an uncommon but mysterious look~.'

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Assassination Classroom OST – Odayaka no Asa')_

I wasn't sure if Matsuri walking towards her a good sign. All nerves had been fried to the point of uselessness. My tired face had been covered in a small film of sweat while my head was still aching (and my wool cap didn't help at all). Well, since I was already done to no end, I simply just stayed on the spot before…

"T-Thank you, Jess- *Sob*…Jessica." What happened right there could be considered a private moment. What was left of her over-the-top happiness shifted into small sobs and cries as her head rested on my own shoulder? It was weird, yeah. But…even though it was somewhat difficult to keep her upright (because she was easily higher than me) in the gentle, yet fond hug she was giving me.

"Y-You are the first one w-who…didn't judge us…for our actions." She didn't break her hug, but now she looked down at me with a true smile and somewhat-red eyes from crying that didn't stop there. Tears kept flowing down her cheeks and her breath was still shaky, but I could feel the joy that was overflowing from her. 'It's like a miniature sun that radiates from her emotions…seems kind of familiar.'

"I-I know…that we didn't treat you very nice, considering our preplanning. But…what- *Sob* do you say? Friends?" The azure-blue eyes of hers seemed desperate of a response. _'Her expression reminds me of a dog begging not to be left behind…a rather depressing picture that has formed in my mind.'_ To be honest, I wasn't sure if it made a difference, but I might as well say it.

"What are you saying?" …The look on her face seemed to drain of color while her brother looked with a murderous glint at me. I was smirking on the inside, but I didn't want to kick a 'sad dog' in the face twice, so I quickly added:

"We are already friends, Matsuri!" From the instant but quiet hug that I received afterwards (and maybe a cracked rib) I could tell that she was overjoyed at my response. Fujimaru also sported a huge grin on his face…that was wiped momentarily away when the bubbly mage dragged him into the hug as well. 'Poor man, I wonder how he deals with this every day!'

"Well, may this be the start of something big. Right, Matsuri?" Fujimaru seemed to now relax properly as he simply accepted the hug and even returned it with the so far biggest smile that I spotted. We weren't enemies anymore, but the exact opposite…

We actually became friends…

'Oh, how weird the world is. Maybe my luck has finally turned-'

" **JESSICA** **OFFERED THEM WHAT!?"**

…Eep.

"Can I run ahead…friends?"

"*Sigh* …We got you. Don't worry."

"We'll keep you safe from her, Jess~!"

"Thanks, if you now excuse me…AHHHHH!"

 **"GET YOUR SORRY ASS BACK HERE YOU LITTLE SQUIRT!"**

 _(Stop playing 'Assassination Classroom OST – Odayaka no Asa' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Today is a_ _pretty_ _short post, but my time is VERY limited from now on (which might differ of the course of week-ends and maybe 1 or 2 days in-between my schedule. Also everyone, I'm sorry again for the huge delay since the last Chapter, but as again…school resumed and in high school a lot of time is wasted away in the classroom chairs, rather than the keyboard._

 _Anyways, I'll keep writing this story. And also_ ** _please_** _take the warning of Fujimaru at the beginning serious, it's not there for fun! While I do try my best to entertain the folks that want to read this, I have no real desire to deal with flamers THIS early. So, keep it friendly and we'll be good. Right? Right!_

 _So, since I need my sleep desperately now, I see myself gone._

 _The Sir's out!_


	14. Of a Truce and Wishes

_And hello once again to the next Chapter of 'Daylight's End'! I hope you guys had a good day so far and didn't over-exert yourselves yet…but seriously, senior-year is a pain in the ass._

Hana: "True thing! In the times where I actually work-"

 _Barely, I guess?_

Hana: "At least I do my work…for a change. But still, doing too much of it at once is not really a good thing, so my body can relax again~!"

 _Oh yeah, 'G' wanted his privacy for once. So, how was your free time? Anything enjoyable to tell?_

Hana: "Ah…not too much! Met most of my friends so far, some at the bar, some over while they were at work and some in their houses!"

 _That actually sounds really nice- …wait a minute…something isn't right in there._

Hana: *Blinks innocently* "Oh, nah! Everything went fine there!"

 _No, no, not that. I could retaliate though that you went to_ _all_ _of your friends…say, Hana? How many of them got informed of your visit…beforehand?_

Hana: "Uhm, they're called 'surprise visits' for a reason, duh!"

… _Alright, that's fair. And…how many did you interrupt?_

Hana: *Starts counting on both of her hands* "Let's see…3 of them had been in an important discussion (job-related), 2 wanted to drink in silence at the bar…some guys that betted once against me were introducing a beginner at his new job position…which he might have quitted after I talked to him."

 _*Facepalms* Please tell me you d-_

Hana: *Continues counting* "5 of them had been on their free day and proceeded to kick me out. One might have even tried it multiple times, but I stopped counting from there!"

… _I'm sorry, but let me summarize that. You broke into your friends' personal houses…_

Hana: *Nods*

… _They probably led you out of them, or maybe threw you out…_

Hana: *Nods again* "Yep~!"

… _And you broke in…again…_ _after_ _they clearly showed their feelings towards your actions…_

Hana: "Uhm, yes? Any problems with that?"

Hana: "Fire?"

… _Just…please do the disclaimer, alright?_

Hana: "Sure, sure…whatever!" *Turns to the audience* "You guys and girls know the drill! The rights of the OC-characters and the story belong to that party-pooper over there." *Points behind her at Fire*

 _OI!_

Hana: *Groan* "Just get onto the story already, I have stuff to do!" *Throws hands into the air*

 _Sheesh, fine! So, since we don't have much time left to spare:_

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

 _..._

 **CHAPTER 14 – OF A TRUCE AND WISHES**

* * *

After the 'little' hissy fit of Sietta and an hour long rant of both her and Yorc that I shouldn't make such rash and stupid decisions again ended, I finally got to relax. Well those weren't the correct words (which originally included dozens of swearwords and insults targeted at the twins that (to their bad luck) stood behind me when that happened) but our group calmed down for now. Since every injured person in the camp had recovered…to a certain extend…we packed our stuff and loaded some of our goods into the carriages.

The trip itself was resumed, and we were already behind our schedule. Get this, Sietta and Lindheim had planned for us to travel to 'Colossus Mountain' and prepare the assault in 2 days. We are currently at day 4 and had traveled only half of the distance! This gave the Dark Guild more possibilities about our whereabouts and our plans, given that anyone else caught onto our schemes. And since almost the entirety of Loeyur had bidden us farewell, there must have been some counterspies involved somewhere.

Sietta, me and the others defiantly knew what this would mean for us. Since they must have had the time to actually prepare a defense, or worse…a counterattack to finish us off, they'll defiantly have all forces mobilized and ready at their disposal while we are stuck on our original group of village-watchers. _'Well, not quite, child.'_

Oh, right! I managed to drag Fujimaru and Matsuri, the twins that go under the codename "Kirin" plus being 2 of the strongest mages of 'Full Blood' into my idea of joining forces for a probably temporary alliance and are got them to travel with us at this moment. I'm not going to lie, it took a lot of convincing from myself and even **more** calming down on my and Yorc's part to get Sietta onto our side, but it was worth.

With these two joining our small group we might actually sport a chance to win this! But everything is possible right now, so I'll keep my hopes high and realistic…

...

...

...or not.

Okay, I'm even lying to **myself**! I currently pray to whatever being that looks over everything here that I'll not get myself murdered! _'It's a logical thing to do, so don't dismiss your actions as a negative matter.'_ 'Alright, true. Still, what do you think about this situation Luna? Think that you can beat them with your 'Abyssal Void Magic'?

The unnatural expression of Luna's visage in my mind turned into a thoughtful expression before she spoke her results.

' _While my magic_ _could_ _incapacitate and possibly defeat a big number of enemies in a single second, I fret that my abilities are rather reserved-' '_ Unless my own capacity increases, right?'

' _That's correct.'_ I had a bit of fear in me of that theory… _'My own magical energy is close to limitless while you used your own amount of magic in your body for…a little bit over a week. I don't mean to insult your abilities to fight with spells but you lack in that department by quite a lot. Luckily for your sake the capacity had actually increased after you completely emptied it with our two spells. It isn't a lot right now, but…maybe you can use up to 3 spells now, excluding the transformation itself.'_

That is good to know, since I am fairly strong so far, yet useless in this world. Thanks to Luna in her unreleased form as the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' I so far survived this world. But our limit is really small. A spell used from her magic can potentially deal great damage and render other powerful enemies useless, but once I use up all of them that's basically it. Last time it happend I collapsed from the exhaustion (if you don't include the 'Kirin's' counterattack) and needed said 3 days to recover completely. The results of such a circumstance occuring again are basically a random chance by now.

ANYWAY…while we still traveled to that huge mountain chain in the distance, Matsuri happily took the side next to me while Fujimaru was silently watching from the back. The bubbly mage had her hands behind her head and hummed a carefree song to our footsteps.

The tune itself gave us a sense of tranquility that was very much appreciated before our big fight. The others behind us stayed silent while traveling, but they didn't seem to protest either, so I guess that we all seem cool with it. 'There is also quite a bit of irony there…Matsuri is a Wind Mage and her humming before our fight…it's like the calm before a storm…quite fitting.'

* * *

"So…anything you might want to tell me?" The Lightning Mage coolly gazed at the now 'friendly' red-head of the group and their leader. When he first spotted her, he tried to stay polite and keep her from interfering. But somehow he managed to put her into a fit of rage for unknown reasons. The blonde boy wasn't sure if he accidently insulted or her if she was just protective of their mage, but he understood from their short conversation 3 days ago that she wasn't having a liking towards the callout 'Miss'…he decided to only call her with the mentioned forename to avoid future aggression.

Lazy azure-blue eyes watch intently at his ally who kept a passive glare on her features. He could comprehend her attitude to some degree, given that they both attacked almost everyone from their group and injured them at some point in-between. Their relationship could be used to freeze anything standing close to it.

He was pondering on her question and tried to be as honest as possible. He wasn't technically obligated to tell them anything about their Dark Guild, but Fujimaru defiantly wanted to support Jessica, seeing as she was the only person in their group besides Yorc who didn't judge them for their acts.

"There were…quite a lot of Members in the hideout when we left. It wouldn't surprise me if our numbers weren't sufficient." He spoke in a slow voice and waited for any reaction of Sietta, who surprisingly copied his neutral expression. She didn't reply to him, so the girl was probably waiting for more intelligence to be revealed.

'Why must this be so difficult? *Sigh*' "Besides ourselves, the master and his advisor or tactician there aren't really any mages left. There is this one bulk, however, that has a tendency to use 'Armament Stone Magic'. I personally don't know what spells he can use, but the guy's pretty dense. If you can make him think hard enough, he'll probably collapse the instant he does so." That seemed to raise an eyebrow on his conversation partner. Since he didn't want to talk much more, Fujimaru decided to elaborate again.

"He'll rather rush in first and blabber some random stuff afterwards. Strong build, pretty buff guy all around, be he never really thinks when charging in. You'll notice him soon enough." And with that he finally turned his eyes onto the road again. Silence took over the two as they listened to the sounds of wilderness around them with the occasional happy squeal from Matsuri was coming from the front. It seemed like hours passed as the sun had started to descent from the sky. The male twin had a melancholic smile plastered on his own face.

"Why are you actually doing this?" His gaze didn't break the sight before him, but he could barely make out the red-head's expression. She didn't held much malice in her gaze anymore, but it was replaced with thoughtfulness. The question surprised him a little while he had to admit that he expected their 'one-sided' talk to be finished. But…this time he didn't need to think for minutes to actually speak up. For him, the answer was as clear as the sky, filling the air with her voice and giggles.

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency OST – Not Alone')_

His gaze turned from the dusty road to his sister, who was idly chatting with Jessica. She seemed to talk a bit about their own travels and the happy experiences that they made during these. The younger mage was listening intently to her tale and sometimes asked a question when she didn't understand something to which his sister happily complied and explained their meaning. Of course she didn't include why the two traveled around, but it seemed to bother no one.

"…And then there was this very nice lady who let us stay overnight in her house! She shared her food and her home for us while telling stories from her own hometown! And the cake, it was soooo delicious~!" Even the other members of the village listened quietly while walking ahead. He could see the brewer look fondly to the young girl, and he could have sworn that he saw the 'Second-in-command' sharing an unnoticed smile of his own.

"As I already said it before…we never wanted to join the Dark Guild's ranks. But we had no choice in that matter. I would have had no problem staying with those people. My sister though is a literal well of sunshine. I couldn't stand the thought of something…anything to harm her. I swore to myself that she'd deserve the chance to live a regular life one day. And after Jessica gave us this chance…who was I to reject such an offer?" The silence in-between took over again while they looked to the happy, blonde girl. She was still telling about their chronicles of them meeting a friendly librarian in an old town a few years ago.

"She…really means a lot to you. Doesn't she?" Albeit her features weren't visible, she could still feel the shift of tension in the air into something much more comfortable. The quiet nod had sufficed to feed her curiosity and probably answered her last question as the two spoke stayed silent once more.

* * *

With the hours passing after a while the world's canvas got immersed into a glowing orange, the sun disappearing slowly into it. Fujimaru had mostly brushed aside the other people's presences and solely focused onto the road before them while quietly thinking to himself. 'This seems so unreal. I…really wanted to offer Matsuri a way out, and now we an opportunity just placed before us?'

What he didn't expect that moment was a firm hand to grip his shoulder and tugging on him like a mother would with her child. He mentally scolded himself for dropping his guard that easily before azure-blue eyes gazed at maroon ones. It was Sietta that interrupted his movement, but this time around she had dropped that neutral façade. Now, she showed a very tiny smirk of herself. When a few seconds passed, the red-head broke eye contact and shouted towards the front:

"Everyone! We're close to our rendezvous' location! We'll open up our camp for tonight ahead, understand?" Soldiers and mages alike gave their own confirmation as they gained a slower pace from today's efforts. When they all agreed to her plan Sietta turned again towards the blonde male.

"What do you think…Fujimaru? Want to help me oversee those monkeys later on?" It seemed surprising for the Lightning Mage. After a single talk that took a slightly deeper turn than acceptable for him, the girl had almost completely dropped her suspicions towards the twins. He was around the other members of the Dark Guild long enough to distinguish real emotions from blatant fakes. Oh, how often did those jerks try to hit on his sister when he wasn't looking…? It didn't matter currently, seeing as the chief's expression was actually genuine.

Yet she seemed to have misinterpreted his surprised look as she took a somewhat frustrating breath in and looked into his azure-blue orbs with feelings similar to…'Is that…understanding in her eyes?'

"Okay, look! I know that I and the other people of my squads didn't like you very much in the morning." That was an obvious understatement. "But can you really blame us? After that stunt you pulled on us, we had to delay the plan to free our village by over double the calculated time." Fujimaru had to hand it to Sietta. The blond mage thought that they simply hated the twins due to the information of them being 'Full Blood's' aces, but everyone being simply aggravated on their mood due to **time pressure**? Surely a fact that he encountered **very** rarely.

"I'll be blunt about this…we're sorry for treating you and your sister so badly. It took us a while to figure out that you're divided from the other bunch that everyone encountered so far. But now we can see that you're not that different from us than our forces expected you to be. We have the same goal, so we might as well lend each other a hand, eh?" Sietta loosened the hold that she kept on his unarmored shoulder as she took a step forward, stare still in place.

'Were they treating us really this badly? If so…' He relaxed in front of her as a smirk replaced the thin line of his lips when he took a step to stay besides Sietta and gave her a firm nod. The girl copies his actions when they resumed to walk with the convoy in preparation to free their lives.

'It felt much better than usual.'

 _(Stop playing 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency OST – Not Alone' if you've played it)_

* * *

I am back into the same void that filled the space around me when I collapsed for the first time in this world. After we settled for the night and ate a big feast to calm our nerves for the upcoming battle, everyone took their preferred spot (either outside or inside the convoy's carriages) and slept for the night. Almost everyone was resting at this time, expect Yorc who took the first watch tonight and overlooked humans and animals alike (rather our horses, but you never know what was waiting outside of the forest). We'll probably wake up to dimmed light, seeing as we were already at our planned rendezvous' point just before the mountains. The sun will mostly be covered tomorrow, but that didn't matter right now.

Luna is happily chatting with me as she explained her magic and her spells for me. Mostly she mentioned the ones that she so far used, those being ' _Void Strain_ _' and ' Aurora Arcade Swing_'. She also mentioned another spell that was currently usable with my reserves, but after I asked her about it she simply smiles and walks a few steps ahead of me with the imaginated 'Holy Moonlight Sword' in her hands. The tip of the blade is touching the ground…or what could be considered the ground of this nothingness while she kept the hilt on the same height as her waist. She closes both eyes in concentration while chanting the spell.

' _O blazing stars which fill our skies and shine through the age of time thyselves! Look past beyond your boundary and embrace his power's flow as you fly through thee heavens! Shake both Earth and galaxies with their might and oppose everyone that doubts thee truth! '_ _Abyssal Cosmos Magic: Star Gazer '!'  
_

The sword once again shone with the magic that filled its blade as Luna swung it horizontally into the air while said energy discharged. From the magical energy it formed a few crescent-shaped blasts that flew in a high curve until they reached the maximal turning point of their flight (I'm somewhat grateful for those math-lessons that I took…) where they changed directions and headed for the ground before us in the distance. Mid-flight they reformed and took the form of huge arrowheads as they descended onto the bottom of the void. They flew down with much more speed while the air around them seemed to be visibly pushed aside from sheer intensity.

Before they could collide however, Luna appeared behind me in a fraction of a second while keeping a firm, yet relaxed grip onto my shoulders. My own eyes were fixed onto the artillery-based attack until in connected. As it did, I was really glad that Luna was standing behind me.

 ***BOOM* *BOOM* *BOOM***

My interpretation of artillery seemed to perfectly fit the description, because the spots that got hit got lighted in a holy flash of aurora-like light! Even from afar I could feel the shockwave created by the blast pushing me back! If it wasn't for the grip on my shoulders I'd probably have fallen down by now. Everything around us was shaking like a pretty bad earthquake that appeared out of nowhere…and then the sound…

Kids, if they ever tell you to wear earmuffs for safety reasons, you might as well comply to their request. Why? I might have turned deaf after the blast dissolved mostly, with the small fume of smoke trailing into the equivalent of up in this void being my only evidence. Well that, and the ground not viciously trying to throw me down anymore.

' _My apologies…I…might have gone a little overboard with the spell's power…'_ "A 'little' overboard? I **felt** the blast from that attack from here!" To admit, her attack was **very** powerful, but the spell mostly consisted of  her magical capacities, which seemed over a thousand times bigger than my own reserves. She explained that to me already, but an hour ago (or what feels like an hour in this realm, hard to tell if there's nothing to orientate your senses…) there was another explanation centered on the balance of our magical amount used within the spells themselves.

True to the experiences I had before, Luna's personal capacity was so huge that my own flimsy one drowned in hers. She was after all an entity that lived for a few millennia at minimum and thus has more than enough time on her to prove such strength. Basically to ensure the spell's power, there has to always be a magical amount sufficing said spell. If you don't pump enough into the spell, it will probably disappear before it completely channels. If you use too much, there'll always a slight…chance of the spell backfiring into one's own face if you don't possess enough control. Hence why most beginning mages always start training their own magical reserves for a steady amount and personal control before actually attempting their first magic's spells.

Mind you, before you ask: "Why didn't your spells backfire in the fights?" That one's simple. First, my boots may give me the ability to deal increased damage with kicks / travel a short distance in an instant, but that isn't my magic, so to speak. Hana's creation takes the personal magical energy used by me and redirects it into the silver symbols on the outer sides of the shoes (And given their proper names, they aren't just a design choice). Those are actually made out of compressed 'Letter Magic', the same type used of Freed Justine…I don't know how my guardian angel got her hands on that, but as they say…"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."

There was one more thing she mentioned though: When I and Hana talked about Luna (in her released sword-form), there was a tad bit of information that she dropped…

* * *

 _"There is also one symbol carved into the side of your sword, but it's concealed by the cloth that's strapped around it. So don't worry too much about it. You might get to see it soon enough."_

* * *

Since Luna is said sword, she could easily tell me what the symbol was used for. Let me tell you the following example…

Imagine yourself another person standing next to yourself, grabbing an important object that you hold dear like a credit card or the keys to your personal home. Think of the person as a random stranger with no relevance to you or your loved ones at all. Said guy/girl tries to use the object for himself…only to have it blowing up in his hands.

Crazy, no? 'I swear that there had to be **some** inspiration from another sword of a certain Daywalker in there…if you don't know what I'm talking about, simply watch 'Blade'.' Summarized, there is an implied short circuit inside the handle that will register the user's magic on contact. If anyone holds onto the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' without my consent and attempts to use it, then Luna will use her own powers to overload the mentioned circuit, creating a magical explosion after a couple of seconds.

The explosion is non-lethal, yet it will render the victim of the blast injured to some degree. Additionally they'll lose a big portion of their magical energy when her spell goes off. But anyone who should ever get caught inside one of these, it'd be their own fault if they should fail to feel the burning tingling of sparks emitting in their grasp…just saying.

Back to reality! Luna was now standing before me as the void started to turn more…uneasy. Her other form had disappeared back into herself as the ghost-like entity gave me a small smile. 'Seems like our private time is close to an end…' Rather than a dream, it will feel more like a memory of my own when I leave said void, according to her. For the first time around it was weird getting adjusted to the sudden change in scenery, but once my senses calmed down, I felt at peace in this…realm.

' _Now then, Jessica…is there anything else left for me to assist you in tonight?'_ With her full figure being visible I could make out some…specialties from her. Rather than trying to tower over my small 4 ft. and 3 inches caused by my tender age of 13…*pouts*...I think that she is angling her own knees under her flowing dress to make herself seem less intimidating. She looks at me with kindness in those ghostly, aurora-green eyes and even lets her signature magical flow calmly flow around the two of us.

Speaking of her magic, I was thinking of it as something beautiful! It fits her so well and is **so** powerful when she uses it with me! I wish that…

"Say…Luna, could you maybe…teach me your magic?" Could I really request this from her? I mean, sure…I am her holder so to speak and she didn't seem to be stern or anything. But asking for her mentorship in a magic art that was basically undiscovered in like…ever? That seems like too much, and judging from Luna's eyes shadowing over this seemed bad of me to reque-

' _It will probably take a lot of training and a regular schedule to train properly…'_ A small ghostly hand was ruffling my short black hair that was visible because of the missing wool-cap…It felt quite nice, even if there was this awkward blush forming already… _'But I promised you to give you guidance. If that is what you seek to strive forward, then I'll help you mastering my own magic as your own.'_ 'Or not...'

Goddamn I couldn't be happier today! I am really going to learn magic from her. I'll get trained by the entity known otherwise as the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' in mastering her own 'Abyssal Void Magic' to my capabilities. Somebody please hold me…

The void turned even darker as my smile faded from the confusion building up. Luna put a silent finger in front of her lips as I could feel her magic circling around me. 'Time's up…'

' _Well, you'll have to go back into the lands or reality once again. Until next time, Jessica…and good night.'_ And with those final words the magic around me glowed brightly as I woke to the sound of war drawing close…

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): And she actually gets Luna's magic for the future! Nice! Well, I'll keep myself VERY short once more and until next time…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	15. Behind his Curtain

_Already at the next Chapter, huh? Well, we're glad to meet you here again!_

'G': *Sips from his scotch* "Well, considering that you haven't run over all 7 hills I can figure that you ladies and gentlemen aren't bored yet. At least there's that…"

 _True words, 'G'. By the way…*Looks around him*…why are we in the 'Heaven Bar' today? Had a rough time, maybe?_

'G': "Be lucky that you don't have to seriously work yet. It's **not** pleasant to work multiple, additional shifts because you can't keep a few certain individuals-

 _*Deadpans* Hana._

'G': *Sigh* "Yeah, because of her weird shtick that she pulled, I had to explain a new recruit why she counts as a 'special' case. She's not bad in general, but she's…more mischievous."

Dre: "Don't forget that she's a vicious animal when betting against you." *Walks up behind the two*

Marsh: *Follows behind Dre* "She isn't the smartest, but she never lost a challenge before…trust me, we tried." *Shudders*

 _Are you serious!? *Looks at everyone else in the bar* Really…did NONE of you ever win even a single bet against her!? Not even ONCE!?_

Everyone: "No." / "Sadly not…" / "I still have the scar as proof." / "I'll never get rid of the hangover caused from that…" / "I had to go to work NAKED because of that!" / "Even **I** had to give her a day free…my hand had cramped after that."

 ***SLAM***

Hana: *Walks inside* "Counting every bet made within this place, I'd say…the score's currently at 22-0 for moi~! If you want to bet against me, you'll have to put in a wager big enough to count, alright?"

 _*Smirks* Name it._

Hana: *Grins evilly* "Your favorite drink against mine. We'll drink cup after cup against each other and whoever passes out or gets full loses! You win, you get a favor from me!"

 _Where is the catch?_

Hana: *Grins brighter* "If I win, then you can probably guess what I want. No cola for a month for you, candy and replacement-drinks included."

 _*Pales* T-THAT IS NUTS!_

Marsh: "Ow, that one's a low blow for him…"

Hana: *Leans in closer* "Aww, are you getting scared by a girl? What happened to your pride a second ago, did it disappear like the chicken you are? Ba-Bawk!"

 _*Fumes from rage* YOU'RE ON!_

Everyone else: **"EEEEHHHH!?"**

'G': *Facepalms* "Great, now you've done it." *Turns to Dre* "Could you turn around and read out the following? I think we'll stay here for a while if this goes on…" *Hands him the note*

Dre: "Uh…sure, Boss?" *Turns around and reads* "T-this 'fanfiction' is owned by MrFiretank and the same goes to his OCs…like that 'G'?"

'G': "Like that, thank you. And with that-"

Marsh: "LET THE DRINIKNG BEGIN!"

'G': "Let's just begin and forget that this ever happened." *Drinks a sip of scotch*

...

 **CHAPTER 15 – BEHIND HIS CURTAIN**

* * *

Duvac wasn't sure if he should have expected this morning's sight. He got informed of Loeyur getting tense in this situation and he even received information about a convoy traveling up to their own hideout within 'Colossus Mountain'. As the advisor and tactician of this questionable bunch he directed every attack, defense and other actions that required his attention. Thus, he was supposed to know about everything that was happening in here. But he certainly never expected the scene before his very eyes.

The full entirety of 'Full Blood' actually decided to not go on each other's throats for a change. Usually there were only half of their numbers present, but today was different. Instead they sharpened their own swords, daggers, spears and any other weapon at their disposal. In a corner at the end of the base was a table surrounded by a few dozen thugs that planned their own little surprise. Upon closer inspection he could make out some bottles of liquor from the make-shift bar, a small batch of cloth and lamp oil. It was painfully obvious what they were preparing.

'But the actual question is why I didn't receive any notification of this.' Pushing up his glasses with his forefinger he releases a soundless breath as he stoically walks towards the members who were talking excitedly about their ideas.

"…And when those guys are trying to escape, then we'll use those little things here…" A random member with a weird pair of sun-glasses was holding up the single Molotov cocktail in his hand while gripping a small torch in the other one. He mimicked a noise that sounded similar to an explosion going off before laughing while explaining his plan further. "And then BANG! These idiots will be turned into ash when we're done with them! Ha Ha-"

"May I ask why you are planning out an attack without my consent?" Every person at the table turned when the voice of their superior spoke up. He could see some of them freezing while others gave him a hateful glare. It was nothing that he didn't experienced every day here. The only other person who didn't react the way Duvac expected was the man wearing those sun-glasses. This guy had the nerves to actually smirk at his arrival which increased his inner frustration slightly, yet he kept his own expression perfectly controlled in a neutral façade.

"Oh! If it isn't the little runt! Have you lost your owner or what?" 'A new member. Probably joined us after the raid in the village before Loeyur.' Duvac took a closer look at the man and immediately confirmed his guess. His clothes seemed mostly clean, the shown skin was undamaged and he was surely lacking the usual physical strength that was shown around here. He stays silent the whole time, but the other man seemed to be on a short fuse…

"Ey! Speak up already! Cat got your tongue or what?" Most of the other members felt a slight shift in the air, and the long-term members of 'Full Blood' had enough intellect to smartly move away from the two. 'Glasses' however didn't take the hint as he walked up to him and attempted to grab the tactician by his cape's clasp. Before any other member could stop him though, Duvac showed to him exactly why he was so high up in the Dark Guild's food ladder.

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Peter B. Helland – Ominous Wind')_

'Requip: Quickdraw.' Nobody expected the lone advisor to actually present his magic before them, but they knew that once he used it he'd be dead serious about the moment…and judging from the gun barrel between the dude's eyes he wasn't joking either. Duvac's weapon was similar to an old sniper rifle, with a wooden frame and stock. The iron sights of his weapon had been completely removed and there was no built-in ammunition clip hold. Instead there was a rusty silver chain attached to both the slot's position for the gun ammo and his own wrist, while being long enough to not actually hinder its wielder's movement.

The poor soul in front of him paled as he realized the position he was in and looked right into Duvac's face. The light reflecting from his glasses covered his eyes for him, but if someone would look close enough, they'd notice the slight vein on his forehead showing up. Well, some of the guys here shared the same rule between each other: Should the lone advisor ever show even a single trace of negative emotions, then you're basically screwed ten times over. With a small click he pulled the rifle's trigger as he heard a loud scream emit from his target. He didn't let him have that moment, and otherwise kept his face emotionless.

"Guns Magic: Impulsium." With those words a sudden green shockwave fired from the nozzle of his rifle, causing 'Glasses' to get blasted away from the advisor's position as his target was flung into the nearby rock wall. His impact created a wave of dust that lingered in the air for a moment before it dissolved, only to reveal the now heavily injured form of the cocky man that underestimated him inside a small crater. His clothes had been now torn beyond repair, his face sported a few cuts from the collision's shrapnel and that precious pair of sun-glasses had been broken into two. Satisfied, he put his gun back with a wordless command while he looked around to see different reactions all over the members' faces. Nobodies gaped at his use of magic in shock. The veterans gave small grins of their own while a single person even clapped at his performance.

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Peter B. Helland – Silent Shadows')_

"I knew you had it in you, Duvac! Finally you're showing us that violent side!" It was no other than Dao Zagers, his boss and 'Full Blood's' leader who gave a sinister, yet gleeful cackle at his actions. Duvac actually paled slightly as the realization hit his face. Fortunately he quickly regained his posture as he shifted to his neutral voice once more.

"Why haven't I been informed of this turn of events?" He stoically moved to his leader, who was currently rested on top of the twins' favorite couch at the bar. His legs laid rudely on a cushion that was probably clean before he made himself comfortable. Dao also had a mug of reeking ale in his left hand. At the sudden question Dao gained a slight scowl on that uneasy grin as Duvac walked to his personal master.

"You know, you brat…for each day you've been here you became more and more of a nuisance. You were still soft on the inside, you could never kill anyone and tried to avoid me every single day. That's why I made you my advisor in the first place…but now?" The suddenly empty mug clacked onto the surface of the stone as he stood up and leaned in so close that he was face to face with Duvac. "After you sent your little shitheads onto their mission, what did you think I was feeling when a little birdie told me that you're lying to me?"

"I don't know of what lies you're talking-GAH!" Before his advisor could even retort there was a hand painfully gripping his windpipe with the monstrous strength that Dao possessed. Even though his body hadn't transformed yet, his power was formidable even in this state. The grip got slightly tighter before his master spoke in a low voice into his ear:

"You know, it'd be so easy to just rip your throat out, right here on the spot for all the lies that you fed me…" Fear started to settle in Duvac's stomach. To his dismay, the accusation wasn't wrong. When people in the villages or towns from the past had caused trouble and the tactician got ordered to get rid of them, then he'd always sent the 'Kirin' duo out to deal with them peacefully. His lies allowed dozens of people to live on (even when they were forced to move to another village in secret afterwards) and saved many targets from their death. Even when witnessing the violent behavior of his boss, he'd use the anger caused by his actions to fuel his ambitions even more. But it seemed like that he wasn't discreet enough…so this could very well be his end right here.

The chokehold of Dao's hand tightened by the second as Duvac saw his arm's veins popping up. He could already feel the killing intent radiating from the white-haired monster before him, and as if it couldn't get any worse he felt a shift of magic in the air between them. 'H-His magic, h-he's seriously not going to…' The calm expression of his face shifted slowly into one of fright.

Everyone's gaze around the two shifted fearful as the hairs on Dao's forearm and hand grew quickly as white hair covered his skin that also appeared with long, razor-sharp nails. While they grew, the advisor felt more and more scared when he registered pain erupting from his neck as the copper-like smell of blood barely filled the air. 'Take Over: Werewolf Soul!'

Duval didn't fail to notice that his master's irises had shifted from their regular brown into a bloodshot-kind of red that made his appearance with the white hair and wolf-like gaze look even more terrifying. The combined force of killing intent added with his lack of oxygen caused his legs to give up their support as black spots filled his vision more and more by the second. Just when he was about to pass out though there was a rough shove aimed at his neck.

The force from the push resulted in Duvac landing harshly on the ground as he coughed from the pain and gasped for air at the same time. He seemed too pitiful, so weak at the moment that he couldn't help himself as the anger rose again. Yet he quickly pushed it inside to not cause more trouble. The other members still shuddered from the actions before them, and they knew that Duvac got extremely lucky for not getting slaughtered on the spot. He pulled his right hand up to his own throat and his suspicion confirmed itself as a small pulse of pain shot up.

Duvac quickly retracted his hand to see tiny specks of blood adorning the previously clean hand. His gaze wandered to the still pissed off master who had his eyes shadowed over, but fortunately his arm reverted back to normal. The killing intent was lingering there, even though it was suppressed to a small extend signalizing Dao's control over his usually unstable sanity.

"If I get to hear one more time that you're scheming **anything** behind my back, then there'll be no tomorrow to witness for you! And for everyone else, we're going to charge soon so gear up already!" With a clear message spoken and the presence of his boss leaving, Duvac finally got up and ignored the stares he received from the others which ranged from sympathy for the lone advisor, to glee at the display of their master's magic, to even hate from his sheer presence alone. One such hateful individual stood out…

"That's what you deserve, bastard!" 'Didn't he suffer from enough shame and injuries already?' The same 'Glasses' from before limped to the advisor who now stood once more. Unsurprisingly, he tried to punch him for pretty much deconstructing his face and shattering his sun-glasses by the usage of the small amount of magic he fired. The guy's visible ember eyes now shone with rage as he aimed for the advisor's own pair of doctor-glasses. Due to the pretty much obvious foreshadowing he gracefully sidestepped the man's lunge before clocking him over the head with a swift swipe of his flat palm, knocking that weakling out in the process.

Duvac dusts his clothes off before turning towards the closest random members whilst covering half of the small cuts on his neck with his dominant hand. They stiffed as his regular stare bore through them when he spoke.

"Bring me the med-kit from our infirmary, and carry that man with you while you're at it." They did something that could have resembled a poor salute before running off, one injured newcomer in tow. Meanwhile, Duvac's thoughts were racing inside of his mind. Someone had blatantly sold him out when he was executing his plans. Whoever it was must have known him, Fujimaru and Matsuri on a closer basis than he wanted to admit. The advisor already has a few people in mind, and he'd defiantly find out **who** had the nerve to backstab him.

'But for now, I'll need to get these wounds treated…'

 _(Stop playing 'Peter B. Helland – Silent Shadows' if you've played it)_

* * *

The mayor is looking at the stack of letters beside him as he read each one of them individually. Most of them consisted of the village's population requesting either his own presence or asking for funds to repair / maintain certain buildings. When their funds started to drop drastically from 'Full Blood's' attacks he decided to distribute the available resources only when they became heavily required. There were also a few letters asking for information about their current hope Jessica, the mage that willingly agreed to help them free their village when they didn't have anyone else to turn to.

Right now he was looking at a letter from a small premise located in the trading area that asked for the current status of their plan. In all honesty, he wasn't even aware of their position at this point. It has been 5 days since the convoy traveled through the wooden gates of Loeyur and while they certainly had their most competent people involved with it, there was no guarantee for their plan's success…

"Mayor! Mayor! I need to speak with you!" Outside of his office he could hear somebody heavily banging on the door. Lindheim stood up from his chair as he calmly walked to his door before unlocking his room's entrance. When it was opened his own secretary stumbled through the door and almost fell down if it wasn't for his help.

"Take a breather, miss. What has gotten you this riled up?" She was clutching her knees as she is breathing heavily. She even had trouble to stand upright at the moment, but that didn't seem to stop her in the slightest. Instead the secretary looks up from the ground towards him and speaks up.

"There has been…a message written…for you personally…from outside of Loeyur!" That gets his attention. If his memory didn't fail him there were usually members of the Dark Guild roaming the outskirts between the next villages and towns. To hear that a letter actually arrived raises even more questions in him. But for now he ignored this thought for later when his secretary wordlessly pushed a rather official looking letter into his hand.

He pulls a chair from the side of his room for the newly arrived woman to rest on before eyeing the piece of paper closer. There was no address or sender written on the front, but instead there was a seal on the backside. Looking closer he could see what was on the seal itself: The insignia of a fairy with a tail. The symbol of 'Fairy Tail'. Lindheim couldn't believe his own eyes, so to truly confirm the sight before him he glanced at the woman sitting before his desk. Her breathing has calmed down by now but she seemed still tense and confused about this situation. It was true, this letter has been sent by the infamous guild.

Opening it, Lindheim first spots the neatly written lines of the message itself when reading from the start. As if his eyes couldn't have grown bigger, their size increased with every word from the letter. After he was done his hands unconsciously started to tremble as his breathing hitched. His secretary (who witnessed his reaction) stood already at the mayor's side and was looking at the letter herself:

* * *

 _Mayor Lindheim,_

 _Over the course of time we heard of multiple complains from other towns. There hasn't been any information concerning your situation itself, so I decided to investigate about this dilemma a while ago. Whilst I was gathering intelligence from current trading partners and associates of Loeyur there had also been rumors of a Dark Guild showing their presence within your village's area._

 _If my worst guess is right then everybody is currently held hostage by their mages and members alike. Seeing as they must have a big number of members in their ranks I decided to task a S-Class mage from 'Fairy Tail' that was available at the time to travel to Loeyur and make sure that this town gets liberated, should the scenario have happened. Otherwise, they'll investigate further about this Dark Guild (and hopefully track them down in the process)._

 _Should you have received this message, then I'd like to inform you that even if suffering and pain cannot be reverted back, our family heard your call for help and we responded. Soon this problem will be solved, so don't fear anymore._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Makarov Dreyar (6th Master of 'Fairy Tail')_

* * *

Both of them stayed silent for minutes, maybe even an hour or so until Lindheim was snapped out of his shock by the only woman in this room. "Uhm, Mayor Lindheim? W-What should w-we do now…?" His gazed shifted and now big irises rested on his uneasy secretary. There was a small frown on her face but it was mostly originating from her confusion. Lindheim closes his eyes in thought as he sits down again, his face staying neutral. He didn't reopen them as he spoke.

"We'll make preparations for their arrival until further notice. Inform the local inn owner of the situation and tell her that the mage should visit my office a day after arriving. Anything else will be taken care off by myself. Are the instructions clear?" He is not sure how to tackle the new revelation. Even if the concept of magic was mostly foreign to him, he still knew how powerful an S-Class mage was considered. If 'Fairy Tail' truly sent one of them to his village, then he'll need to give them any information possible after they rested.

"Y-Yes, Mayor! I'll take care of it now!" The woman grabbed the letter once more and probably started running to the inn close to the town hall itself. During her rush, Lindheim grabbed a bottle of personal brewed liquor from a drawer inside of his desk. It had been a gift from Trecht after his 55th birthday when the old man himself celebrated with most of the villagers. After carefully unscrewing the bottle, he poured himself a small glass full of the expensive alcohol before sighing.

"I'm starting to get too old for this…maybe somebody else would be competent enough."

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Well, this has been more of a background Chapter to get the sidelines rolling as well, but don't worry! The actual confrontation with 'Full Blood' will be in the next one, so keep your eyes peeled out for that. Also, if any of you haven't guessed it already (what am I saying, of course you got the hint!) the main cast will also_ ** _FINALLY_** _be SOMEWHAT existent in this story. I may have written this fanfiction mostly OC-centered by now, but note that this is_ ** _still_** _playing within the main 'Fairy Tail'-universe, so it was only a matter of time till somebody would have showed up._

 _Once the guild itself comes into play, I'll add the character-tags accordingly. For now… *Turns to Hana* Sorry, was busy doing the outro! *Glug* *Glug* *Slam* Guuhhh…14 cups…of cola..._

Hana: "What!? Uh…" *Stares at her cup of lemonade*

Marsh: "I can't believe that they're **STILL GOING**!"

'G': *Deadpans* "I can't believe that her favorite drink is non-alcoholic."

Hana: "WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?"

Everyone else (in unison): "We can't believe that they're **actually** doing this…" *Facepalms and heads slamming into desks*

 _Oh, are you too afraid to continue? Well, guess that means that I-_

Hana: "Fat chance, Fire!" *Glug* *Glug* *Glug* *Slam* "I followed up! So, guess what? Another round!"

 _Arrrggghh…well, I guess that this will take a while. So, we'll see each other in the next Chapter where I drink this wannabe guardian angel into the ground!_

Hana: "Not in your lifetime! Or the next one!"

 _Wait…does this mean that I get reincarnated?_

'G': *Groans loudly*

Hana: "I…uh…uhm…SHUT IT AND **DRINK ALREADY!** " *Flails with her arms*

 _Sheesh, calm down you crazy girl! Since we'll stay occupied for now,_

 _The Sir's out!_


	16. Boiling Point

_So…since I have the tendency to make huge mistakes when writing my story and manage to_ _ **somehow**_ _overlook them I decided to…read the last Chapters from 1-12 (13-15 have been corrected multiple times by now!) over time to spot any…passage that seems repetitive and / or contains spelling errors to correct them. You know what they say: "The devil is in the detail." Ow…_

Lucifer: *Chuckle* "My, what a fitting phrase indeed~."

 _So…you're finally back, huh? After…what was it, Chapter 9?_

Lucifer: "I apologize if you missed the company of me-"

Everyone: " **ABSOLUTELY NOT!"**

'G': *Stares* "You're not even supposed to be in heaven…or 'Heaven Bar' for that matter…"

Lucifer: *Sits beside 'G'* "Well, I'm here now. Does anyone want to try throwing me out or may I drink my Martini in peace, Garrison~?"

'G': 'Fancy coming from you.' "…Fine, just…try not to comment on the stupidity that's currently taking place."

Lucifer: "No guarantees~."

 _*Glug*…*Glug*…*Slam* oh man…23 cups…of cola…_

Hana: "WHAT!? I mean…e-easy…gosh…" *Stares into her cup* "I… **FINE**! I can't drink this stuff anymore!" *Throws cup of lemonade away* "I may have a liking for this stuff but your addiction to cola is straight up inhumane!"

Marsh: "Hana refuses to drink!" *Holds Fire's hand up* "The winner is our good buddy Fire!"

 _Y-Yes…*hic*…oh oh. Uhm...do you have a bathroom by any chance?_

Bartender: *Points to the left*

 _Thanks! *Runs off* *Slams bathroom door open*_

…

Lucifer: "Is he…?" *Hears barfing noises*

Dre: "Yes he is…"

'G': "Why did you have to agree to this again Han-?" *Stares at her empty spot* *Hears more barfing noises*

 _*From the bathroom* I…regret my life choices…_

Hana: *Also from the bathroom* "I…regret my rebirth…"

Lucifer: *Chuckle* "As amusing as this scene is for me, I fret that we're not here for business. So, to finally get away from heaven and be able to resume planning I might as well cut our time short." *Looks at the audience* "The rights for this fanfiction and any OC involved in this go to MrFiretank. Additionally, (to make sure that this won't turn into a problem) all songs / OST's that are being mentioned have its rights kept by the respectful owners."

Hana: *Shouts from the bathroom* "Since when are **you** friendly towards other entities!?"

Lucifer: "I have my days, but unlike yours they don't hurt as much down there."

'G': "Alright, that's enough for today. Do me a favor and don't try to actively give me migraines with whatever your scheming."

Lucifer: *Smirks* "Same old, same old Garrison~. Well then, ta ta~!" *Leaves*

 _*Comes out of the bathroom* Since we're left with not much time today we'll continue now, so since there's nothing left to say:_

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

...

 **CHAPTER 16 – BOILING POINT**

* * *

Grey clouds floated over the skies when I wake up to shouting and screaming around me. My tired body takes a moment to register the commotion in the area, yet when I became finally awake there was an awkward silence in the air. _'There's something heading towards us…'_ Luna's usual voice was laced with worry as I stood up from my interrupted slumber. Muscles and nerves still felt sore…but this wasn't the right time to think about it.

My ears hear a small rustle from the cover sheet that acted as the carriage's entrance and looked ahead to see Fujimaru standing there, 'Raijin' ready in his hand. "We're moving out now. I suggest that you get ready soon." It was a relatively short message, still there was a certain tension between us. When we heard the sound of a horn within the camp, I and Fujimaru ran to its source. To our surprise, everyone was already awake and geared up. Matsuri and Trecht were the first ones to spot us and reacted in their usual ways.

"Jess~! Fuji~! You're finally here!" The perky blond in her regular happiness…

"Glad to see you here, kid. Thanks for getting her up, buddy." …and Loeyur's brewer gave us a two-finger wave. Everyone seemed tired and unfocused, unless you don't count in the two people standing close to a campfire while leaning on their weapons (which got fortified by the dirt under us).

"Alright, listen up everyone! We called you here this morning to go over the reworked plan! Since our last circumstances changed, we'll be forced to change some things up!" Sietta's gaze was glued onto every solider and fighter before her, even when she eyed me there was no change in her eyes. _'She is taking this completely serious…a good quality for being the chief.'_ 'Well, we got lucky that nobody died on the last attack. She'll surely think this over multiple times to minimize our risk.' _'Excellent observation, Jessica.'_ I actually blushed a little at that praise…

"…Our spotters found the entrance to 'Full Blood's' hideout." It took Yorc almost half an hour to fully explain our strategy, but it was pretty much simple thinking, according to them:

All of our forces will be split in two teams. Team 1 (being leaded by Sietta, Yorc and me) will act as our charging group. Our job is to engage as many members of their Dark Guild as possible and hopefully not get wounded in the process. There are a lot of buffed fighters included that can hold our enemies off for quite a while.

During this attack, Team 2 (leaded by Trecht, Fujimaru and Matsuri) would try to position themselves around the side of our battlefield whilst the first clash commences. When Sietta or Yorc gives them a signal, they'll rush out of their cover and attack any high priority target into submission…or execute them if necessary. Some of us wanted to protest at that, mostly me…still, their members weren't exactly saints so it should be justified. We'll use the surprise of their two top mages switching sides and their strength to beat them.

When fear started to settle in my stomach at the mentioning of killing someone, I felt a comfortable hand placed on my shoulder and saw none other than Fujimaru who gave a reassuring smile before walking to the front of our campfire.

"Any more question or do we need to bash the plan into your heads?" Out of everyone, Sietta was probably the most tense. Her face was set into a silent gaze, yet you could easily see the slight twitching of her hands as well as her pupils moving occasionally to the sides. Nobody mentioned anything when she switched from a nervous glare into her 'battle face'…which was a firm line with much more focus within both eyes. 'The pressure's getting to her as well…'

"Could I say a few words before we start?" Our heads turned towards the blond male that stood next to our chief. The red-head quickly adopted a confused frown on her face, yet she complied and took a few steps back to let him have the spotlight.

* * *

Fujimaru wasn't sure if he had the right words. When he woke up as the first one this morning, tired soldiers and fighters ran around all over the place and (to his observation) gave not an eerie feel of confidence. So, with not much time left he simply asked the woman leading their plan for a few minutes of free-talk. As he stood before everyone, the Lightning Mage looked around as he spoke up.

"Everyone…I know that our current predicament seems bad…" Their gazes wordlessly shifted to the ground, some of them hung their heads in shame while others were too stubborn to approve of this statement. He even saw how the chief's liege shifted slightly in the dismay of his feelings. Tired eyes looked even further ahead and spotted the girl that brought them this far. She was easily towered over by her small size, her heart and will are acknowledgeable nonetheless.

"But not all hope is lost. I know that we haven't started on a good note…but we're more than ready to compensate for this." To prove his point he immediately materialized 'Raijin' into his hand and pointed it above their heads. "We have fought many battles before…some with reasoning, some without. But all of this experience shall not go to waste today!" There were soft murmurs in the crowd before him, even louder voices spoke their opinion.

"He's right! We can't back down now since we're so close to our goal!" / "We fought them off multiple times already, and now we have 3 mages with us today!" / "YEAH! Today will be the day where our village gets freed!"

Matsuri and Jessica, who witnessed the spectacle before their eyes rose 'Shinatobe' and the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' in unison, as if they both felt their spirits rising in them.

"So, let's raise all weapons for our goal! Together!" A loud battle-cry rang around the clearing. Birds and other forest animals alike in the area jumped from the sudden loud noise. This was the minute where a group of village-watchers was replaced by an army of fighters who were ready to fight until the end.

Fujimaru stayed silent when he walked back towards the young mage and his sister. They already dropped their hands and had a proud smile on themselves. There was only a single though in Fujimaru's mind when he was walking back…

'I hope that we don't need to hold another corny speech again…this feels so weird.'

* * *

Lucifer wasn't sure how things would play out now. He had collected some information about the special girl that Garrison had brought in that world. To be sure, he even collected intel about the people that had interacted with yet…and still…

"…This is starting to become irritating…" The ruler of hell was sitting on his personal throne made out of bones, staring intently at a chess board that laid before him with the devil's signature color at his side.

His queen moves ahead. A pawn falls.

"…You were surely having something in mind…" Even with all of his research, he couldn't make out a clear connection between the workers of heaven and that girl. There were still a lot of questions open about the girl's past or what that annoying blond was thinking about her. He mused to himself more while thinking. Blood-red eyes getting a tick sharper from every thought inside his mind.

One of his bishop moves. Another pawn falls.

"…To think that he puts me into such a predicament…" To his favor, the situation in Loeyur was being observed by a few of his pawns who reported the situation every hour. When he got informed that…Jessica…was helping those lonely humans, the devil couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Maybe this position wasn't as bad as he thought in the first place.

His rook moves. The enemy king falls.

Maybe he could interfere in that girl's adventures…and then he'd gain some leverage to stretch his options ahead. Yes…he'll surely win, he'd make sure of that.

"Oh Garrison~…if you think that one measly win will throw my plans back, then you'll be sorely mistaken. I'll have my ways to gain the upper hand and then…"

Deep-red eyes gaze intently at the only figure on the chess board before him that he cared about, his own king…A sadistic smile crosses his face as he thinks of all the possible ways on how their 'war' would result.

"I'll let heaven crumble before your very eyes~."

* * *

We're walking under the cloud-filled sky, rays of sunlight barely shining to the earth and nature being unusually silent. Our spirits, however were on the verge of breaking loose. I am glad that Fujimaru gave that short speech (as cliché-like as it sounded) since everyone was now prepared to face the threat ahead.

As of now we're walking as Team 1, Sietta and Yorc taking the lead whilst I am staying a few steps behind them while 'Colossus Mountain's' base gets more and more visible. The wildlife before our path was slightly damaged or singed, the stench of alcohol and…other things filling our nostrils. It made me slightly nauseous, but it was not that horrible at least.

The other group was moving through the forest a few ways away from us, keeping their sounds at an all-time low to hide themselves. Our biggest bet for this fight: myself and the twins. Out of everyone in Loeyur's forces, we were the only ones that could:

1\. Actively use magic and cast spells. That one's a no-brainer.

2\. Fight against other mages without getting killed instantly. And NO, the encounter with 'Kirin' doesn't count since they passively tried to avoid casualties. Our own numbers could surely drive them back. And lastly…

3\. Can wipe out most of their numbers. Uh…mostly the twins, since they aren't half-noobs. Seriously, I was in Earth Land for a bit over a week and still had close to no understanding of magic. Yes, Luna agreed to teach me 'Abyssal Void Magic' but the first lesson is still ahead. Luckily, we had Fujimaru and Matsuri with us to balance that out. As depressing as it sounds, they both have collected a lot of experience in battling others and thus knew how to handle the situation.

Not to forget Sietta and Yorc's previous fights. They couldn't use magic and only had regular weapons available, but both of them were still a force to be reckoned with. According to our information, there was yet another pair of mages within the lines of 'Full Blood' (excluding their leader). Fujimaru didn't gave much detail on their powers or…appearance. Albeit we knew that one of the two could use 'Armament Stone Magic' and had the brain capacity of a goldfish.

Steps got slowly muffled out from the winds that flowed over the plains. We could already see the entrance to a cave ahead of us, any sort of grass or green missing around it and creating a small clearing before the spot. Sietta raises her hand beside me to signalize both teams to stop. _'Team 2 also stopped ahead and are surveying the grounds beside us.'_ 'Thanks for the update Luna.'

My head turns to the left whilst letting Sietta know that our plan was still in place with a small nod. She still stares intently to the front, but signalized with a nod of her own that she got my message. Yet, eyes growing surprised caused my curiosity to get the better of me and take a second look ahead.

Where there once was a clear field before us changed into a…crowd of men / women who looked a little too happy for my taste…almost like they- _' **JESSICA, DUCK!** '_ 'WHA!?'

"GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE!" Sietta had already reacted before I could even blink and dragged to down to the ground. Not a second later there was a hail of sharp rocks flying above our heads, piercing the air and trees around our unit with ease. A few painful cries rang behind us… 'This is nuts!' _'Agreed…!'_

* * *

Fujimaru couldn't believe what had just occurred. One second they prepared themselves for the plan, and then silence was replaced with war. The stones that got launched from the clearing ahead of Team 1 suprised everyone, not even the twins saw the attack coming and ducked from the shrapnel flying through the forest. But even with the ambush attack, they knew who fired this spell…

"Uh…I…missed them…is that good?" Standing before the crowd of 'Full Blood' was the most buff member of their numbers, beside his friend and their…master. This goliath was as huge as a full grown tree and wore a torn shirt, short leather pants and hiking boots. His hair had been done in a black Mohawk that got together with green irises. 'It's Jaehn…of all people.' If memories served him right, then he had no nickname due to him being an orphan. He was taken into their ranks a few years before…they 'joined'. Out of everyone he could be considered the only other huge threat, besides the other two mages. His 'Armament Stone Magic' was proof to this…

"Grr... **OH COURSE NOT JAEHN, YOU MORON**!" An audible slash rang from afar. Both twins were left agape when they saw the huge gash that now sported their ex-comrade's arm. Jaehn was luckily resistant to a lot of physical pain, so he didn't register the damage done. Still, both of the blondes were friends with the 'gentle' giant. He had killed and hurt innocent people like they did, yes, but in actuality Jaehn was trying his best to be friendly with others…mostly with the twins or sometimes even Duvac. So watching the situation unfold in that way made Fujimaru's blood boil ever so slightly.

"Brother…" A soft hand on an unarmored shoulder brought his nerves down ever so slowly. He looked to his right side, seeing Matsuri with a sad frown on her face. Though, there was a slight edge to it…

* * *

" **LOEYUR! GET OUT OF YOUR DAMN HIDEOUT AND FACE US**!" 'Oh no…'

Now, our plan was gone and we stood face to face with the entire Dark Guild before us…I was becoming really nervous. However, Sietta kept a calm posture and slightly angled her head to the side while whispering. "Dang…well, playtime's over I guess. Everyone uninjured, keep your guard up. The others sneak towards Team 2 and get themselves patched up. Now move." One by one we moved ahead, walking towards the dangerous clearing.

Behind us were a few injured village-watchers that took either a direct hit or got scratched up rather badly. Ulm had gotten hit by one projectile on his upper arm, making his crossbow useless. They all sneaked to the side, while we moved ahead to face our opponents.

We took our sweet time with advancing forward, looking for any unspotted dangers but luckily spotting none. When we crossed the forest behind us, they started to become more aggressive in their posture. Weapons were drawn, feet slightly shifted on the ground and eyes grew from anticipation. The huge guy that was throwing these stones just neutrally stood there, watching us with a confused face on him. Their leader had a smirk on him, as well as the whitest hair I had ever seen. Plus, there was another person in the back that looked way out of place…he had those same glasses on him like my family doctor (the ones with tiny one-part frames) and held a nervous glance with his brown-red eyes, almost covered by slick-black hair.

Sietta beside me was watching one individual in particular, the white haired guy that called out to us. On a closer look he seemed more threatening than the other bunch, if the sleeveless purple trench coat with white fur and his deep-brown eyes weren't any indication for that. _'Careful, child. I can detect magical energy radiating from his body…'_ 'So the threatening guy in the front is a mage…oh great.' Our red-head took this moment to speak up.

"I already heard rumors about the so-called 'White Wolf'…but I imagined you myself a bit different."

A wild cackle rang in the air as the referred man reacted. Other people behind him even laughed with him.

"Oh, I'm SO sorry for that girlie! Didn't expect me to look charming, eh?" Sarcasm was dripping of his tongue, howl whistles erupted from the goons and the tension became worse. _'I'm slowly starting to question his personal sanity…'_

We all kept a firm grip on our weapons when the laughter stopped. The 'White Wolf' took a step forward to our reaction and dramatically bowed to us.

"Well, where are my manners? For all of you shitheads, I may go by the nickname 'White Wolf'…but my actual moniker is Dao Zagers a.k.a. the master and founder of 'Full Blood'!" 'WHAT!? This nutjob is the guy who held the twins on a leash!?' _'…!?'_ Fighting spirits. Determination. Conviction. All of these crumbled as realization dawned on us. Our faces must have betrayed us, regarding the laughter taking place once more...

"You know what's also great? Magic can be used for a lot more things then fighting! Like… **smelling** for instance!" _'I don't like where he's going with this…'_ 'Me neither!'

 ***BANG***

The silence around us was instantly piercing by the unique noise of a gun getting fired. Yet, nobody from us got hurt from the shot, the gun on the left actually didn't even aim-

" **MATSURI!** "

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Adrian von Ziegler – Torn Worlds')_

Rage was blinding Duvac's eyes as he dashed towards the nimrod who fired at his friends. Without any remorse he jumped at the guy and landed on the ground, the goon lying under his feet. He started putting his hands on the guy's collar and shook him around like a ragdoll.

"Why did you shoot!? I didn't give you orders to do so!"

"But I did, **brat**." Pain filled his senses when a magic-empowered kick sent the angered advisor to the other side of the clearing, before he crashed against the tree. His back gave an unnaturally loud crack when the impact occurred, making him bite down on his tongue to suppress a scream from the shock. He felt soft grass under him when he landed on the ground, but that couldn't distract him from the sight before him.

He saw part of their enemies staying low behind the trees or bushes. In actuality, his eyes were solely focused on his friends Fujimaru and Matsuri, the latter having a bullet wound on her left upper leg, clutching on it while tearing up from the pain. The former was trying to soothe his sister by holding onto her hand and muttering a few reassurances. Meanwhile, the blond boy looked at the members behind him and spoke in a quiet, yet strained voice, anger radiating under a poor mask of calmness: "Finally get a medic to her!"

Duvac wanted to run towards (besides Matsuri's brother) his only friend when the sensation of cold steel filled his nape. He couldn't exactly see who had sneaked up behind him (or even sense the person's presence, since all the pain was shrouding his senses), still he could feel the shaking tip from a spear.

Fujimaru (who was still trying to soothe his sister) saw the advisor's broken form lying on the ground a few feet away from them, went wide-eyed and instantly half-shouted out: "Wait, stop Marko!"

The man behind him (Marko, he noted) had frozen up and spoke in a confused and tense voice. "But Fujimaru, he's an enemy!"

"It's alright! I know him…he'll not harm us…"

"You can't seriously imply that-"

"I **do**! And stop getting louder or our cover will blow up."

"It's useless." Both surprised parties stared at Duvac, who tried to stand up, whilst ignoring the screaming of his mind at the action. He summoned his own rifle to use it as a crutch, at the same time Marko jumped back, pointing his spear at the broken back. Even as the pain got worse from contact, the tactician's mind was running wild as he continued talking.

"The chance of them firing randomly at you was already low. But that kick…*Cough*…or rather the target direction of the kick confirms it. He already knows your position." The pressure on his back disappeared, followed by the noise of steel meeting the ground. The tension in the air dissipated by a bit, but the uneasiness still remained.

"So…the plan that you…*Cough* probably had as backup-" He stumbled on both feet and prepared himself the impact on the ground, which never came. Two arms held him under his arms when he was held up by none other than Marko.

"…Thank you." He turned his head slightly to see the somewhat satisfied expression on his 'opponent'. Duvac got carried to his other sole friend in this world, who had a sad smile on him. The advisor gave him a small handshake as he could stay on both feet again, finally feeling relief for the first time after almost a week of anxiety and fear.

"...As much as this situation relieves my senses, your predicament will not e-"

* * *

" **DUVAC!** "

I couldn't believe this…this…monster not only injured two of his own men, but he actually looked satisfied from this? The shock was so strong from that surprise-backstab...nobody dared speaking up. Even Yorc was left gaping, Sietta was fuming more and more with the second, and the rest had just froze from fear. The loud scream of Dao before us broke the already tense silence.

"I CHANGED MY MIND! YOU CAN STAY WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND **DIE ALL TOGETHER**!" 'He's…he is insane…' _'In the name of…'_ Nobody dared to move, even when 'Full Blood's' leader advanced towards us.

"Now then…who of you lowlifes wanted to chase me away?" His left arm suddenly was engulfed in a grey-white magic circle, the nails on his arms growing longer and sharper, white hair started covering the entirety of skin and muscles and fingers became rigid. Speaking of muscles, his arm seemed more buff than a second ago…'Take Over'…'

"And you better tell me now…because I **can't wait to SLAUGHTER THEM! GEHAHAHAHA!** "

...

 _(Stop playing 'Adrian von Ziegler – Torn Worlds' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): So, high school exams… *Rubs nape uncomfortably* …seems like there'll be way less Chapters than usually be posted on the story. Fear not, I'll try to write as much as possible, but time will become a rare thing for me now…_

 _Anyways, I'm happy that even with the lack of posts there are still people who frequently…or unfrequently visit this fanfiction. You guys and girls are awesome, stay like that and enjoy your time! (Because I sure as hell won't)_

 _Also, I have finally another project planned as a release for the near future! It will be a one-shot involving around a certain favorite streamer of mine that made my days less and less boring over the last months, so you can look forward to something else than 'Daylight's End' So, I'll see myself out!_

Hana: "Hold on F-" *Still pukes*

Everyone: *Slowly leaves the outro-screen*

 _Uhm, yea…_

 _The Sir's out._


	17. The 'White Wolf'

_So, it's that time again, where another Chapter gets released after over an week of boredom…only for spelling errors to take its place, which I have to sort out over the course of 24 hours, still managing to miss a lot of them…well, a Beta-Reader would be nice, but I don't want to force anyone to deal with my shtick._

'G': "Which one? The cloak, the cola, your laziness-"

 _Do you_ _have_ _to count all of these things up? We're starting to overuse these jokes, and it's losing on entertainment value, so zip it._

'G': "Meh, whatever. By the way, Hana got hospitalized."

 _Let me guess, overhydrating and sugar rush?_

'G': *Stares* "Let me guess, you had your fair share of these?"

 _Actually, no. I just merely guessed. Well folks, I still have my winning wager left from the bet. I can basically claim any sort of winning from her, that I want (PG of course). There are a few ideas in my mind already, but I'm curious as to what_ _you_ _readers can think of! Write me your best idea on what to request from someone like Hana, maybe it can serve as inspiration._

'G': *Sigh* 'I bet that Lucifer would enjoy this much more than you, Fire.' "Also, please don't go overboard, or I'll be forced to deal with backlash from the council."

 _You have a council up here?_

'G': *Deadpans* "I may be God himself, but even I can't deal with everything that happens both in heaven and earth…"

… _Fair enough. Well, with not much left to do, I'll just jump right to the disclaimer! *Looks directly at the audience*_

 _For everyone that reads this fanfiction, be advised! I personally only own the rights for my OC's, and also for 'Daylight's End' itself. The mentioned OSTs / songs have its rights reserved by either the creator himself of whoever they gave them to. Lastly, I do_ _ **NOT**_ _own 'Fairy Tail'! 'Maybe I could ask 'G' to change-'_

'G': "Absolutely not."

 _It was worth a shot. Now, without any further ado,_

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

…

 **CHAPTER 17 – THE 'WHITE WOLF'**

* * *

"Sietta, Yorc…Luna? Any idea?" 'Please don't let the crazy psycho get near me! No! No! **Nope**!' At least they didn't let me drown in fear yet…or they just masked their own emotions like a professional-

"Dammit…Jessica, change of plans. We'll let them engage us-"… Because I'm sure that Sietta has a plan on- **COME AGAIN**!?

" **WHAT!?** " / "…Are you sure?" 'IS SHE ACTIVELY **TRYING** TO GET US KILLED NOW!?' _'Calm down, child! You're hyperventilating again!'_ The stinging pain from my chest erupted, unnoticed by me. Luckily I was able to take a few deep breaths with Luna's help, and calmed down enough to let Sietta explain her decision.

"I know this sounds ludicrous, but trust me…we can turn that guy's stupid grin upside down. Just you wait… The thing is, they might know where our troops are, but even Dao isn't fully aware of our capabilities. For him, we're just rookies…" The tension around her shifted ever so slightly, eyes only resting on Dao's transformed arm. "But, believe it or not, every single one of us had his fair share of battles. His face will meet the dirt, I'm sure of it…"

"…If you have faith in this plan…then count me in." His expression was full of trust and concentration, the steel sword ready to chop anyone into tiny pieces.

"So, squirt? You're okay with letting me pull the reins?" The chief stared expectantly at me, waiting for my answer. 'Should I trust her in this? We're basically turning ourselves into living targets!' Could I really put my live into her hands as easily as that? I mean, there was a lot of trust for her in me, but that much…

' _Jessica…'_ Luna's ghostly visage spawned inside of my mind, taking away any focus on fear and anxiety. _'You may have traveled not too long with her, or myself for that matter. Yet, I can tell that she's loyal to a fault if her allies are involved. Just take a look at her…'_

I wasn't sure what seemed different on her. But somehow, she radiated confidence, even with her back turned to me. Posture, voice, even her footing was giving me a sense of protection. _'You can trust her on this, child. Just let your fear drop and solely focus on the objective at hand.'_ She…was right? Why was I working myself up this much? That guy was a bit looney and a mage, yes! But that's it!

"…Alright. I trust you!" The red-head turned her face to my side, giving me a lopsided smile, before staring ahead again.

"Good, because I hope you won't get mad about this." 'Wait, what is she doing!?' Our chief took a hand away from her halberd and cupped it before her mouth, before shouting in a fake-angry voice, whilst having a shit-eating grin that might have made Hana proud:

"OI, POOCHIE! DIDN'T YOU GET YOUR TREATS YESTERDAY, OR WHY ARE YOU SO RILED UP!?" '…' _'…On second thoughts, she might have screwed us all.'_ It became deadly silent around us. Not even the animals in the woods dared to call out a response. Dao's face shadowed over as his muscles started to spasm slightly. The huge grin on his face was replaced by a thin line, portraying no emotions.

One of his goons, with the mark on his left cheek tried to calm Dao down… "C-Come on, boss! She's just trying to rile you up! Don't think that-"

"OR WAIT, LET ME GUESS! YOU LET YOUR UNDERDOGS WIPE YOUR ARSE EVERY MORNING, SO THAT YOU CAN DOZE OFF EACH MORNING!" Some of Dao's goons backed up when they felt the deadly killing intent around their master. His shoulders shook in rage, but he still stayed on the spot.

* * *

Both the twins gaped in shock (and admiration) at their temporary leader. They never saw anyone, ANYONE who openly insulted that Dao, much less bad-mouthing him. But using creative insults in correlation of his looks, hair and behavior combined with dogs? That one defiantly earned the red-head some respect…

Yet they both deadpanned while sharing the same thought: 'If she doesn't die on the spot that is.'

* * *

Yorc wasn't sure what to expect from this. He had trained his superior for 2 years, partially in the art of war…but this? True, it was a creative way to get an edge. But at the same time she might have signed her death warrant.

He studied the posture of 'Full Blood's' master, sensing the unholy rage that was building up. There was something holding him on the spot, but what…

" **You…how dare you…insult me like this!?"** The transformed right arm's veins became visible from sheer muscle power, winding up for an attack. Yorc switched into a defensive stance whilst angling his sword to the left, preparing to cover any attack ahead. His legs shifted slightly, showing him on the verge of charging. 'Here he goes!' With a giant leap, he covered most of the clearing's distance in a second, leaving everyone dazed of his speed. 'How did he…!? Wait, his legs!'

A regular person would have overlooked this detail, but there was a tiny strand of white hair poking out of Dao's boots. 'So he transformed another part of his body without any indication…not good.' The master's hand was retracting at the same time while aiming at- 'The chief!'

* * *

" **I'LL TEAR YOU TO SHREADS, RED!"** The attack occurred ridiculously fast, almost reaching his claws into Sietta's face. Fortunately, she had already readied her guard and allowing her to block his claw. His attack packed quite a punch and even pushed Sietta back by a few feet. Yorc and Jessica had been pushed aside (or fell down) from the attack's pure speed and force. He looked at Sietta to spot her grinding her own teeth out of concentration.

"ANYTHING LEFT TO SAY BEFORE I CUT YOUR FACE UP, **GIRLIE!?"** The tip of his nails pushed further and further, almost pointing directly at her irises. Dao looked at her like some sort of sick present, wanting to rip the wrapping off. His nails had almost touched her face…

"Just one thing."

She then looked up with a devious smirk of her own into the madman's gaze and making him stop his assault for just a second…Sietta felt the sudden change in force and instantly reacted by pushing him away using the increased weight of her own halberd. When Dao had staggered backwards, she turned her sight into the forest near the clearing and shouted:

"NOW, **GO!** "

As her cry rang out, a bright green light from the bushes and flew straight at her opponent. The channeled beam of energy connected with the white-haired man's chest, causing him to fly backwards into the crowd of goons and taking a few of his members to the ground as well.

* * *

"Nice shot, man!" / "Still having your good aim, friend." When the redhead shouted to them, Duvac didn't waste a single second before blasting his oppressor away with a quick charged 'Impulsium Fascio'. The tactician had decided that enough was enough beforehand, so he readied his rifle for any opportunity… 'And just in time.' To his advantage, their person in charge saw how Duvac had prepared his own weapon discreetly and had given him a small sign of confirmation. 'Good that she caught up, otherwise we wouldn't have this advantage right now.'

"We're not done here. Get any man you have left standing on the battlefield, now!" He already had a plan in his mind for the situation. Loeyur's units were poorly outnumbered, so they needed all mages of their numbers active. 'I can't fully use my magic without excessive pain, even after taking those painkillers from Marko…so fire support it is.' His friend was thinking for a second, but complied regardless.

"…Alright, Duvac, but don't overdo it. You got injured pretty badly, just like Matsuri." Fujimaru then turned his back at the advisor and spoke loudly to the troops on his command: "MEN, MOVE OUT NOW!"

"YES SIR!" Trecht and the others available dashed from their hiding spot into the clearing, Matsuri (who had gotten her upper leg bandaged) taking the lead with 'Shinatobe' prepared. As if their determination couldn't get any higher, they gave their own version of a war cry that left their blood pumping.

"FOR OUR VILLAGE, **FOR LOEYUR!** "

* * *

Duvac was surprisingly astonished by their sheer determination and even rose a single eyebrow whilst waiting for another clear shot. His analyzing gaze drifted back towards 'Full Blood's' master who had recover by now and look righteously pissed…

'Well…let's just hope that I picked the right side this time.'

* * *

" **GRAARR! WHAT ARE YOU STANDING FOR YOU MORONS!? KILL THEM ALREADY!"**

'Where did that beam come from!? Sietta isn't a mage…right?' _'Not to my knowledge…but I might have a guess on who just helped her.'_ I wasn't sure on how this was supposed to end with our chief almost getting a new scar on her face. But not only did she  somehow overpower him, but another person actually managed to throw that douche back!

'Could it be that-' _'As much as I am intrigued about this like you, child…there are some men that need your help.'_

" **LET'S GOOO!** " 'Are these…the twins, and Trecht!? Why are they charging into them!?' A rough, but known hand grabbed my shoulder and turned me to the side, making me face the 'Second-in-command'.

"Talking's over…let's go Jessica." Giving me no chance to respond, he instantly rushed forward while our other soldiers followed him. Catching up to Yorc was not really possible (given my small build) so I just charged behind them to see both Fujimaru and Matsuri raising their weapons before two different colored magic circles.

"The winds pick up, following our path over every cliff-" The light-blue circle became miraculously smaller before it traveled down 'Shinatobe's' guard, picking up rotation speed in the process and making the blades glow in the same light…

"And thunder crashes down, lighting the valleys for our comrades-" A neon-yellow circle copied the same actions as Matsuri's, yet it stayed relatively bigger due to 'Raijin's' size. Its bright glow almost blinded my eyes. Both twins aimed for a vertical swing whilst charging in the middle of our units and the ones from 'Full Blood' as the magic circles overlapped in the center of them.

"TOGETHER, THEY TRAVEL AS ONE AND BRING FORTH A RAGING STORM! **'** **UNISON RAID: ZERO VALLEY IMPACT** **'!** " _'They're not holding back, careful or you'll fly off!'_ Their combined swing formed a massive typhoon, yet unlike the last spell they used against me, this one looked way more ravenous and destructive in force whilst creating massive torrents of wind that blew into our faces. Sietta and Yorc didn't even seem fazed by the twin's power, but the others almost tripped from the sudden change in weather.

As Luna suggested, I slowed down and tried to center my weight more down to avoid becoming a human projectile. As their spell was raging over the open field, both Loeyur's forces as well as 'Full Blood's' had trouble in keeping themselves upright. A few of their goons actually got caught by the winds and were swept away by the typhoon. Only a few people weren't getting influenced from the currents. Two being Matsuri and Fujimaru, while the other two…

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST – Tension')_

"So you don't want to play around, huh? Well, two can play that game… **JAEHN, FIRE AT THAT THING UNTIL IT DISSIPATES!** " _'What is trying- …He's…!? HE'S SERIOSLY CONSIDERNG TO-!?'_ Their giant slowly put his hands before him, a light brown circle of magic formed at the same time.

"Okay master…'Armament Stone Magic: Skin Sling'!" When his muscles became focused, it seemed like his skin…was…shattering- WHAT!? 'EW! That looks so gross!'

'…Hold on, I know that this is the 'Fairy Tail'-universe that's already known to have some really weird magic arts, but shedding your own skin by literally cracking it!? What is even the point of this!? Could it be-' _'CHILD,_ _ **WATCH OUT**_ _!'_

"…!? **MATSURI! FUJIMARU! GET RID OF THAT DAMN TYPHOON!** " / " **EVERYONE, DUCK!"**

"And...go!" When his skin had finally stopped cracking, the parts started to levitate and float around him. There were easily over a few hundred diamond-shaped pieces in the air, all of them looking extremely resilient and filled with magic. By making a slow pushing motion, the individual projectiles got launched with extreme speeds at the twin's spell. In midair they changed their color into a mud-like brown and even reformed at the tip, adding a sharp edge to the front end.

At first they got sucked into the typhoon, making me think that his attack had been nullified. Well…just then I received a grim reminder from the entity above that physics still applied in this world…in the form of even more tiny pieces flying from every direction, turning the entire battlefield into something out of a bullet-hell game!

My mind was reacting surprisingly sluggish at first. However, my muscles reacted on their own and made me splat on the ground. Not a second later, there was the same shrapnel from before, getting flung above my head. Only this time, they looked way tinier and deadlier all together. Looking ahead I spotted how most of Dao's troops did the same thing, only the master himself stayed upright whilst taking cover behind Jaehn. I didn't realize how damn resistant he was, but when his own attack hit his entire body, he just stood there like nothing happened! Some others didn't react fast enough though…they either got hit directly in the vitals and passed away instantly…or got shrapnel stuck in their limbs, making them scream out in agony…

' _He's ready to kill us without any remorse, attacks and injures his own people…but to be willing to sacrifice their lives_ _ **as it is nothing…not even he'd deserve fair justice!**_ _'_ I felt Luna's mental visage turning into one of pure anger…but then it changed to thought and…nervousness.

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST – Crime Scene Express')_

' _Child, this might seem like a bold request, but…I'd ask of you to use my magic.'_ 'Wait, what do you exactly mean?' _'I know that there's a limit to the number of spells that you can use for my '_ _Abyssal Void Magic_ _', but if we don't do something to help our friends out then this will turn dire.'_ I was thinking about the risk, and to be honest that didn't really matter at the moment.

When I looked to my right, there was almost everyone from Team 2 on the ground like me. Only Fujimaru had his sword up in a shield-like fashion to block any projectile for his unit, moving from spot to spot to ensure that every member was safe. Matsuri was also using her sword, but unlike her brother she used it to destroy the ones that soared over the blond male's head or simply flew by his side. Judging from the bandage on her leg (which must have been the spot where she got hit) it was really straining for the bubbly mage. Said injury probably hurt like crazy because her speed was lacking at best, causing a few pieces to graze Matsuri's limbs. Since both twins were occupied, they couldn't stand still to cut off the spell's energy that was draining them at an alarming rate.

Yeah, it didn't take me too long to figure this one out. 'What do you have in plan?' _'We'll use the same spell from our last battle to get rid of both dangers…but I'll be required to transform first.'_ There wasn't much that we could work with, since any attempt at standing up might result in my immediate death. What to do-

"This…is not good!" / "Yeah! Might have gone overboard this time." Hold up, those were Sietta and Yorc! They had both hit the deck a few ways to my left and seemed still perfectly fine…and they had their weapons on them…just like-!?

'Luna, I might have an idea. Though, you'll probably hate me for it…' _'…I'm willing to overlook this, but do it quick or else our time runs out.'_ 'Got it!'

"Hey, you two!" The angle at which they lied down was awkward. Still, they managed to turn both eye pairs to my direction. There was a bit of distress on both faces, yet Yorc managed to hide it better than our chief.

"I got a plan to get rid of that cyclone of doom, but it'll involve you two getting in danger!" They just stared at me wide-eyed at my boldness. But after a few seconds, Sietta adapted a cat-like grin whilst Yorc seemed perfectly fine at the mental image that just appeared.

"I'm all ears!" / "…Count me in."

 _(Stop playing 'JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable OST – Crime Scene Express' if you've played it)_

* * *

"Grrr...Why must I be left in this state? *Cough* …I can't even openly stand like this..." The 'Full Blood's' tactician…well, ex-tactician was left lying against a tree in the forest before the clearing. His hands got slightly burned when he used his spell. Still, he didn't let his façade break down before his lone friend to not anger him any further. Duvac knew the twins very well, and that hate and rage on Fujimaru's face was real.

"…In- *Cough* …just a situation like this. Why…am I still sitting around here…when my friends- *Cough* *Cough* …need me?" Even though there was a trail of blood going down his mouth and pain filled his arms, he dragged his own body upwards while heaving. Every second felt more excruciating than the last one…but he couldn't let the blond mages down, not now.

Duvac limped to the bushes that severed both parts of the region and forced his magical energy into the pocket dimension, which contained his rifle. The usage of magic drained him even more, making him stumble close to his destination. Yet, through this injured state he recovered and got into his shooting stance on the ground.

The rifle was aimed at the backfired spell combination from Jaehn and the twins, magical energy being focused into the chain linked to his wrist and build-up already in progress. The attack's success was questionable…and just the usage could move him to the brink of consciousness. 'That doesn't matter. Should I fail to carry their burdens, then Fujimaru…and Matsuri will-'

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn OST - Tsuna Awakens')_

"OKAY, HERE WE GO SQUIRT!" / "DO YOUR BEST, JESSICA!" 'Huh?'

The loud calls from both chief and inferior has broken Duvac's focus and made him look to the side. If his eyes could have bulged out any further, then this would be the pinnacle of insanity…

"For our victory!" There (in all of its crazy glory) was the other mage of Loeyur, standing behind the chief / inferior...using them as a meat shield… 'WHAT!?'

It was no dream…the two experienced fighters stood before the fragile girl, sword and halberd held in a defensive stance while blocking the shrapnel as good as possible. Obviously it hadn't been the twin mages, so they defiantly couldn't block all of them. Still, they put up a line of defense that was formidable.

"Here we go! The endless darkness, and the infinite stars…" Soon there was a tiny threat of energy flowing around the old sword's guard. 'Don't tell me…' It was glowing in an aurora-like green light, circulating slowly over the rusty metal.

"…Between my hands, they align as one…" The space around that girl started glowing with the same light whilst trailing up the entire blade. 'There's no way…' Jessica has closed her eyes and then shouted so loud that even Duvac could hear her determination:

"…AND SHINE BRIGHTLY UNDER THE NIGHT SKY! 'AWAKEN: HOLY MOONLIGHT SWORD'!" Eyes full of unrealistic green flashed open and then…

…Everything became light. The green flash exploded outwards and blinded everyone.

"And now for the follow-up!" Well, besides one.

* * *

"...Hurry up, quickly!" / "Come on! *Grunt* We won't last longer than this!"

Oh man, am I grateful for the fact that no one from 'Full Blood' anticipated the bright flash from Luna's transformation! However, there was another task left so dawdling was no option now! _'Remember, do it just like we planned!'_ 'Yes, ma'am!'

Again, I let Luna's consciousness take over the chant so that the attack charged faster. The tip of her blade was help upright in front in me. 'Everything set up.' ' _Great! And now…_ _O great entity that gazes beyond my presence…guide the night's darkness to where I request! Let my shine of magic be the only of its kin and may it weather thorough the nothingness with all of its glory!'_ Almost half of my capacity was gone by now. But I couldn't afford to stop here. So instead of waiting for the finished channel…

I put the sword over my head and swung with all of my force while screaming in mind: 'NOW LUNA!'

' _Abyssal Cosmos Magic: Void Strain_ _'!_ ' The effect was imminent by a magic circle appearing under the legs of Jaehn. But what did surprise everyone (with the exception of Sietta and Yorc who had huge grins on their faces) was the shockwave-formed arc of excessive energy that was used for the spell.

"Huh!?" Not only did the magic circle under Jaehn drain his own capacities by the second, but there was also the arc of raw energy that either destroyed of absorbed every piece of shrapnel on its path! When the arc reached the typhoon it actually rushed through its center and…actually absorbed enough of its power to get rid of it! The wave was overloaded with our combined energy and headed straight towards Jaehn who still had no idea what was happening.

 ***BANG***

"Arrgghh!" / "What the!? JAEHN!" That wave of energy was so fast, it actually caused an explosion on contact. Sure, it did knock him out of the circle (which Luna mentally dissipated) and…to our surprise revealed an injury. There, behind a cloud of smoke was a decently sized gash on that giant's chest area.

All people's mouths were left open and I was grinning from ear to ear). I was confident, determined and strong enough to give these guys a run for their money!

At the other side of the field was Dao…grinding his teeth and clenching his hands like never before. One minute ago he lost his composure multiple times due to Sietta. Now, he was rage incarnate, looking at me with those hate-induced eyes and wishing himself to tear me apart. Yet, I wasn't scared anymore…

"Well then, leader of 'Full Blood'..." I had Sietta, Yorc…

"What do you say? Should we get to the main part?" …the twins, their friend…

" **Grrr...You speak my language, pub."** …and everyone else from Loeyur behind me, covering my back.

*Shing* "Then let's get to it. **LOEYUR, CHARGE!** " …I will…I WON'T LOSE!

" **MEN, ATTACK!"**

…

 _(Stop playing 'Katekyo Hitman Reborn - Tsuna Awakens' if you've played it)_

* * *

 _(To be continued...)_

 _(Fire Me): Well folks, as stated, my time is a very valuable resource at the moment, so the next Chapter will probably take as long as this one to write._

 _Still, thanks for tuning in and until next time!_

 _The Sir's out!_


	18. Spirits of Battle

_*Reads through the story's stats*_

 _Well, not much-_

 _*Sees new 'review'*_

 _Hello~! What do we have here?_

 _*Sees the review*_

 _… *Sigh* Alright, let's do this again._

* * *

*One timeskip later (Because I'm being lazy)*

* * *

 _Hello once again! We're back with the next release of 'Daylight's End' for you and this time I actually tried to write this in the given timeframe of 1 week! (Note, sarcasm.) Ok, but seriously…I didn't know that an internship could beat my ass back all the way to Friday._

Old man: *Chuckle* "Well, gratitude and payments aren't earned by simply lounging around, don't you think so as well?"

Luna: _'Well…'_ *Smirks* _'It depends on_ _who_ _fulfills such mundane tasks. There are certain…individuals that lack the determination for-'_

 _CAN WE- *Breaths in and out* Can we_ _ **not**_ _do this right now? I'm tired, partially sick and just want to get over this, alright?_

Old man: "Alright…still, you might want to take a day free then. Trust me on this, working yourself tired is not the right solution. I'm talking from experience…" *Winces as he moves his leg*

 _Ouch…yeah, we'll move right to the main event, our 'Review's corner' actually received an addition! Yet…it isn't what I thought it would be. (Well, don't we all expect only rainbows and sunshine, huh?)_

Luna: *Spawns in a purple-marked envelope, written by **'dreadix'** * _'Thinking that Fujimaru already warned about such reviews, we had slightly expected such a message. Though, since you at least didn't write any active insult_ _and_ _included…_ _some_ _personal view, it's tolerable._ _ **'disappointed with the story could have been much better'**_. _You should (before you might have written this) considered 2 things.'_

 _1\. We're still going through the 'Loeyur'-arc. I know that this is drawing the storyline ahead by a LOT, but it's the way I wanted to write this story. So don't be too disappointed if the written stuff doesn't fit your likes._

Old man: "And 2. This is (and that fact had been repeated multiple times already) Fire's first fanfiction ever written. Although he attempts to improve over the course of time, he's not too experienced. Give him some space if you will."

 _Thus, feel free to read every story that you personally enjoy more than this one. For some people that's relatively easy, so please commence in doing so. Well then, with this out of the way let's do the disclaimer and move on._

Luna: _'I'll have no problem doing that. But…might you do the honors, mister?'_ *Turns towards the old man*

Old man: *Smiles* "I'd be delighted to." *Cough* "All of you youngsters out there, this piece of 'literature'…"

…

Luna: _'No comment on that statement?'_

 _No, none. Just…go ahead._

Old man: *Chuckles* "As tolerant as ever, I see. Now…where was I? Ah yes. 'Daylight's End's' claim and the rights of every OC included in this story go to MrFiretank. 'Fairy Tail' and every OST / Soundtrack mentioned have their rights reserved by their respectful owners, so that their creators get supported for their works."

 _*Grumbles* Why can't_ _I_ _get paid for writing this?_

Luna: _'Maybe one day we'll all have success, but be patient until it occurs. For today though, let's move on the next Chapter. Have fun reading and until next time.'_

 _*Grins* Roll the next Chapter! Whooo!_

…

 **CHAPTER 19 – SPIRITS OF BATTLE**

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, play from 'Guilty Crown OST – Basileus')_

"Matsuri, on your left!" / "Got it! Take THAT!" The glint of metal under blood shines under the few rays on sunlight, another goon getting incapacitated on 'Full Blood's' front. The charge of two opposite sides was reaching its peak as both forces clashed in the middle, the young mage and the 'White Wolf' leading their respective group. The fight had broken out at full force as fighters, soldiers and mages met each other, weapons ready for this day.

Fujimaru and Matsuri had managed to run a bit further into the enemy lines as they plowed into their numbers. Either unconscious or half-dead was the resulting status of those that crossed 'Kirin's' path. A chest slit here, a broken arm hanging there and the occasional head trauma in between. Both twins obviously weren't aiming to kill. Even with their ex-members thinking otherwise they'll not resent to such acts.

Yet they both didn't hold back for their usage of spells.

"Out of the way! Lightning Magic: Crash Down, Kaminari!" Raising his 'Raijin', Fujimaru swung his weapon instantly after the cast and a neon-yellow circle fired out a pillar of lightning. The impact flung 3 goons some steps back, stunning them temporarily and giving the blond male some free space to work with.

"This silly fight ends here! Wind Magic: Rising Tempest, Entoransu!" The small light-blue circle shot out a thin, concentrated stream of air like a line between 4 enemies, missing them at first. They started to laugh at her attack but it wasn't done yet. "Now, expand!" Concentrated air shot out of the stream's sides, pushing the guys away in a glorious gust of wind. They landed on their backs behind other people, laying there for a while.

Both twins covered each other's backs to fight them off (without any attempted casualties). Because of their pacifistic fighting style they had a hard time fighting alone. Additionally, their Unison Raid had drained a big part of their magic energy, thus leaving the two mostly exhausted. Fujimaru was the physical better one of the two, due to Matsuri's injury leaving close to no space for quick actions and leaving her mostly stationary.

"There's still too many of them. We can't advance towards Jaehn if they keep blocking our path!" / "It's difficult for us, but we can't give up now." The older twin looked to his far right, seeing the only other friendly mage within battle facing off against that tyrant…Dao was currently swiping wildly at Jessica's hands with the intention of ripping them off. The young girl was trying to either block or dodge his aggressive rampage but cuts and bruises started to form on her clothing and skin.

Sietta was fighting with her and went for a straight jab at the white-haired mage, resulting in him dodging aside and landing a heavy blow on her upper arm.

"ARGH! **DAMN YOU** , stupid jerk!" The red-head became ticked off, starting to jab in quick succession at Dao's chest. The leader of 'Full Blood' didn't expect such a quick riposte, leading to him getting a small stab wound in his stomach. More anger set itself onto his face, sanity and self-control slipping away with every second.

" **GGRRRAAHH! I'LL MAKE ALL OF YOU SUFFER!"** Realistically, their odds weren't getting better with that. That was why the twins needed to buy them time. Otherwise, should Jaehn recover from his injury…then…

"Come on! We can carry our weight, right Matsuri!?"

"…Yeah. Let's pay them back for their 'hospitality', alright?"

"With pleasure!"

* * *

"Yorc, these pigs- …aren't dropping dead! Maybe some support, please!?"

"…I'm- …currently busy myself!" Hammer and sword at hand, both men we're trying to fight off as many enemies as humanly possible. Each full swing created an orchestra of painful screams, broken bones and huge cuts littering their audience. Both of them had like 3 guys cornering them as both fighters defended themselves. Seeing their exhaustion, some of the goons started taunting them…

"HA! You'll both end up in-"/ "When I'm done with you, I'll-"

 ***SMACK*** "MY ELBOW!" / ***SLASH*** "MY LEG!" Only to end up getting targeted first.

"Shut it, you pig!" / "…Zip it!"

The two men were stuck in the frontlines, trying to take out most of the goons that preferred muscles over brains. The horde was surprisingly well armed, even having newly-factored swords or daggers at their disposal. 'Wait…sharp weapons?'

A cheeky grin formed on Trecht's face when his idea popped up. Not wasting a single second he smacked another guy in the face who held a shortsword…

"Thanks pig, that's mine now!" …and yanked it out of his hands. The weapon was quite a beauty. Polished wooden grip, fine sharpened steel and a leather wrap on the bottom acting as a pommel.

'Well, hope that this thing can help us.' "Oi, Yorc! Catch!" …Perhaps he wasn't thinking this through, since he literally threw that darn thing at Yorc…

Fortunately, the weapon landed right at the ex-mercenary's feet instead of his chest. The man himself pointed a short glare towards the brewer (who simply grinned at his reaction) and picked it up. Now he had two swords at hand and could take on his foes without the risk of getting circled.

Where the goon laid was also a wooden shield on his back. Thanking his luck mentally, Trecht instantly equipped it and wielded his hammer in the right hand. When he saw the 10-15 goons ahead of him, another idea formed inside his mind to raise the battle spirits even more.

"What do you say, partner? The one who gets the least pays the winner a jug of brew?"

"…You're on." Yorc didn't face him again, but the brewer didn't need to. The grin on his face was detectable even like that.

* * *

"…!? There's another shooter in the back! Take him down!"

"On it!" The quick-fired bolt of Ulm's crossbow dealt with another one of their marksman, making short work of him with a hit in his shoulder. The two bros decided to stay in the back of the fight and give fire-support.

"DUDE! Behind you!" Well, not entirely…Ulm's job was to give fire support whilst his best friend defended him from any enemy that sneaked by.

"No trouble man! This one's with flavor! HIYA!" Marko's spear got lodged inside the poor guy's leg, making him yelp in pain. One follow-up swing with the spear's flat side knocked him out.

"…Dammit! Can't you just shoot that creepy leader down and end this!? He's giving me the chills!"

"It's not that easy!" Ulm explained as he drew another bolt. "Not only is this guy moving ridiculously fast and hard to hit, but there's also our boss and friend alongside him. Who says that there isn't a chance of hitting them instead?" The projectile was ready and already aimed at another bad guy.

"Crud…you're right. But what can we do now?" Marko held his defensive stance, spear pointed ahead and perfectly vertical in his hands. His eyes looked to the distance, spectating how their friend Jessica teleported in front of Dao's face as she followed it up with a heavy over-head swing.

The mad man however, who anticipated the attack just grabbed the 'Holy Moonlight Sword's' blade, making Jessica's expression turn grim.

" **NO** , Luna!" The ex-cook was partially aware of her reaction's reason. When they traveled together before, the small mage explained him how she received that powerful magic weapon in the first place. The consciousness inside her sword (called Luna, according to the girl) was technically the manifestation of the weapon. Thus, if Dao was applying such raw pressure onto her…

'She must probably be in a lot of pain…'

"For now, we'll just do what Sietta taught us in training."

A melancholic grin formed on Marko's face. " _Think fast, hit faster_?"

"Exactly."

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Voytek Pavlik – Rise of the Heroes')_

"Head down, squirt!" I was attempting to pull Luna out of Dao's grasp, who was trying to crush her blade with that transformed arm of his. But no matter how much I pulled, it wasn't even slight budging. Sietta's loud voice rang behind me so I complied her request without any second thoughts.

Not even a second later there was the halberd's axe gliding over where my head was. The surprise maneuver caused that maniac to let go of Luna and jump away, dodging her swing by a few centimeters. Though there was still the spear-like tip that actually inflicted a small cut on his cheek.

The expression on Dao's face didn't change, but he started…to lick the blood with an abnormal tongue like a dog…

" **Gehahaha!** What, can't handle a bit of mundane licking!?" 'EW! He can't seriously- WHEN DID HE APPEAR IN MY FACE!?'

 ***CLANG***

"Focus, squirt! I don't think you'd love have some battle scars on your face!" Gosh, Sietta just saved me…again! Why is this guy so difficult to fight!? _'Unlike Yorc or the twins, Dao will not hold back to fight. Quite the opposite, he'll do everything in his power to end your life.'_ 'Not helping! …But what can we do?'

'… _I might have thought of something, but it'll probably drain most of your leftover magic capacity.'_

'Another spell from your 'Abyssal Cosmos Magic'!?' Every possibility containing that art of magic would increase our odds by a huge margin. Sadly, I didn't possess the amount required for the regular usage. One of my attacks had already been used, draining over 1/3 of my resources.

Yes, not just 1/3 or my magic like the usual spell costs, I mean over 1/3. The reason for that was the projectile arc in combination to the 'Void Strain'. …Yes, I might have ripped that technique's variation off from Luna's previously shown 'Star Gazer', but it did its job and removed Jaehn from the equation.

' _Another '_ _Aurora Arcade Swing_ _' to be precise.'_

'Are you sure? That last one knocked me out for a few days.'

' _Don't worry. Last time you weren't used to the extreme drain. Now you should be able to at least stand after the spell.'_ 'That's…not very assuring. But alright!'

" **Move out of the damn way, Red!"** The shrill scream of Dao drew me back into reality, making me jump whilst Sietta was defending me as much as possible. 'Dammit, I zoned away!' The chief was putting up a good fight against that psycho in general, yet there were some scratches and cuts on her arms and armor.

That same Cheshire-like grin lit up on her expression, halberd raised tauntingly at the angered master. "Fat chance, **pug**!"

"Sietta!"

"Huh? Squirt? You ok back there?" The red-head spectated how Dao was mentally fuming and stood still as a result. She wasted no time and quickly retreated back to my side, giving me a concerned glance.

"I should be the one to ask you that! …But well, how are you holding up against him?"

Frustration settled on her face, telling me pretty much her whole mood. "Honestly, that dude's tough as nails. Although he isn't properly sane, his battle instinct isn't something to pass by! ...I had to dodge at the last second for a few times already." One of her hands removed itself from the halberd's grip. "And…let's just say that a fail on my part wouldn't end pretty…"

"That's true…still, up for another round?" The only response I received was an incredulous stare, so I elaborated.

"Luna suggested that we use that spell again, the one from our battle with 'Kirin'. Problem is, he'll probably dodge and I cannot chain it up with a second 'Void Strain' since my magic's at a limit…"

Sietta just stared at me for a second…and another one…and even longer…until she responded:

"…Alright…I won't be too much of a help in this state, but I could give you an opening. Just…charge it up until I give you the signal. Got that?"

"Uhm, s-sure! But what if he-"

" **YOU'RE DONE FOR, RED! GEHAHAHA!"**

 ***CLANG*** Sietta blocked yet another charge attack of Dao. Tiredness and exhaustion began to take their toll on the chief as her legs started to wobble from his sheer strength. Her face was set into a stone mask of concentration…yet there was a slight hinge of panic in there.

"JUST CHARGE IT ALREADY, OR HE'LL TURN US INTO MINCEMEAT!" 'Did I say 'slight'? I meant **'MENTAL BREAKDOWN'**!'

"A-Alright!"

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Fairy Tail OST – Prelude to Destruction' [Extended])_

Up in heaven was a familiar figure, staring at the television of her favorite bar. On it was the fight between Loeyur and 'Full Blood' going on in full action. Before they had chatted happily away, until Hana crashed through the front door and turned it on. That was 10 minutes ago when the girl associated with the guardian angel challenged the white-haired psycho.

"…" / "…Oh man…" / "C'mon…"

Still, no one was daring to speak out too loud…it was surprisingly silent at the 'Heaven Bar' due to everyone watching in tenseness. Even the perky strawberry-blonde (who usually rambles on to no end) sat at the bar directly, beer in her hand and eyes fixated up ahead…

"Jessie…"

Hana wasn't sure if this would end well. Sure, she had given her the possibly best suited gear for this journey…but that man…Dao, he was out of her league…

She had also witnessed how those 3 other mages switched sides. The blond was proud for Jessica that she had already gotten so much supporters and friends behind her. Now, they would be facing the first real challenge. Compared to this clash, the ones before could have been considered a cakewalk.

'C'mon Jessie…you have the guts to knock him down flat…'

Even her boss was seated in the back rows, yet everyone failed to notice the wise chairman sitting there. 'G' didn't want to disturb them really, just a scotch and he would've been on his merry way. But now he was entranced into the battle as much the rest.

Sparks flew, blows got traded and hits were dodged the entire time between the fronts. Still, the fight between Jessica and Sietta against Dao was taking most of his attention.

The glass gets raised…and another drop of the sweet gold goes down his throat.

"This is it…show us if you have the potential that I saw in you, Jessica Layna."

* * *

"This is it…let's go, Luna!" _'Right!'_ The same energy, the same powerful flow, the same stance. Everything had to be identical like the last usage of our ' Aurora Arcade Swing', except there were two differences.

For this time, I was planning on not passing out which would be possible since my body wouldn't completely get drained…rather 99% of my reserves and make me lose consciousness…hopefully. It wasn't clear if I could withstand the sheer flow alone.

And second off, my target wasn't a sitting duck for this one. Dao was only slightly injured so far (from a 2 versus 1, mind you) and hadn't even barely used his 'Take Over'. There was no guarantee for a clear hit…I had to solely rely on Sietta.

"The full moon rises and shines above all lights in the vast galaxies…" Energy was being drained out of my arms, my torso, my legs…every unused speck of magic left inside my body moved, reaching out to the great light that was forming on the sword's tip.

"…!? If you think that I'll let you use that, then **you're dead wrong!** **DIE!** " Dao seemed like he wasn't too happy with that charge, as his sharpened claw-like hand was reaching out towards me. There wasn't much space between us left and I couldn't break my stance…otherwise the spell's used energy will go to waste! 'He's reaching us fast!'

"My strength and will combined shall pierce the darkness-!" Our spell was almost ready…I was so close to its end…but the white-haired maniac was…already before me…

" **GOODBYE, GIRLIE!"** / _**'JESSICA!'**_ / **"SQUIRT!"**

 ***SLASH***

* * *

 _(For more Intensity, switch to 'Lucas King – Feel')_

…

…

…

Silence reigned on the battlefield from Loeyur's side…

*Drip*…*Drip*

The flow of energy was still going…yet the mage couldn't speak out. Even her spiritual companion had stayed still…

*Drip*…*Drip* "C-…Crap…"

"…N-No…"

Crimson started to stain the bottom off the clearing…nails were covered in the same substance, as their owner didn't attempt to move them away any time soon. A sole hand was weakly gripping the clawed hand in an attempt to keep it in place…

The brewer and inferior leader froze mid-attack, turning to the fight between the two most important members, only to stare at the curtain of red dripping down…

The twins could only watch in horror as the gruesome sight filled their eyes…it was a familiar scene, only this time…they hadn't created this nightmare…

Every solider on the resistance's side was speechless from the battle's current result. A few started to tear up whilst others were angling their heads, facing the ground to cover their own expression.

"S-Sorry…squirt…" *Drip*…*Drip* "S-Seems like I- *Cough* …didn't m-make it in time…"

"No…"

And the mage in question could only watch while the life was slowly draining out of her friend…who had Dao's claw stuck inside of her stomach…

Blood was dripping from her mouth…her eyes started to flutter...senses started to shut down…

'Just like…when I…'

"A-At least…you're…ready for this…Jessica…"

'…had…died…'

Well, people have always said that Sietta would look better in more red…

" **NO!"**

" **CHIEF!"**

"… **SIETTA!" / "YOU BASTARD!"**

Cries from outrage rang from everywhere, but a few people just stayed silent during this…

Matsuri was still experiencing the pain from her physical wound…but this caused her to break down in tears as she cried for her new friend.

Fujimaru and Luna didn't even dare to utter a single word, yet they lowered their heads in respect and sadness alike.

Even Duvac didn't completely freeze. He also directed his eyes to the ground, but whilst fretting for the destiny of the remaining people…so he swore to himself:

"Chief Sietta…your efforts shall not be left in vain."

…

* * *

 _(Stop playing 'Lucas King – Feel' if you've played it)_

Days away from the isolated village was a single man walking down the trail of dirt and grass, steps causing the only sound during the silence around him. He had started his travel a few days ago, but he was still at least three more away before his destination was in sight.

"*Sigh*…Just as I was about to start my own travels."

His right arm was rubbing tiredly on his forehead as a small bit of annoyance filled him. He wasn't too thrilled at postponing his plans, but the emergency required his attention. The message was sent to him by his guild, which (somehow) had smuggled the Communications Lacrima Crystal into his knapsack. After hearing about that place's desperation for help, he complied and promised to make that place his first destination.

"Well…can't do much about it now."

His orange hair was slicked back when he raised his only hand once more. The tattered cloak and his loose-fitting dark pants fluttered in the wind that was going through the trees around him. In the sun's light were the reflected rays from his shiny prosthetics, shoulder plates and belt.

"…Hmmm?"

The sole soul suddenly stopped and looked into the distance with his black eyes, where a giant mountain was located and its height filling his view. He didn't know what was wrong…but something was there. 'Was it magical energy? …Maybe.' Whatever he just felt, it didn't seem happy…

"Whatever…let's just hope that they have some good alcohol there."

…

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Should I feel bad for letting events turn out like this? Maybe. Do I feel any remorse? Nope._

Hana: "As much as I enjoy some action going on in this story, this seems a bit too far…"

'G': "…She's…not really wrong…"

Everyone: "Agreed." / "Yep." / "True that." / "Ay."

'?': "Wait! What are we all watching?"

 _Oh, just the fight betwee- WHEN DID YOU GET HERE!? OR RATHER HOW!?_

'?': *Shrugs* "No idea. I just slept for a few hours and just appeared here."

…' _G'. Explain._

'G': "I'm not entirely sure how this works, but since this is a part of the timeline that doesn't go directly with the flow of the story, I'd say that there's a chance for other people to appear."

 _*Sigh* *Rubs head in confusion* I…I think I understand…_

Hana: "Yada yada, let's just get drunk people!"

Everyone: "YEAH!" / "DRINKS GO ON ME!" / "PARTY!"

'?': "I'm still not sure where this place is…" *Grins* "But I'll enjoy my stay here while possible! Bartender, one drink for me!"

… _Well, alright then. *Shrugs* Also a can of cola for me! Oh, by the way Hana! *Turns towards her* Don't forget that I still have my winnings left from our bet. *Grins sadistically*_

Hana: *Shudders* "Hey 'Hearts'! Make that two drinks for me! I'll be staying here for a while…"

 _And with that, we'll see all of us away! Thanks for reading this far and until our next time. *Raises can* You're welcome to have a drink with us as well…be it imaginary or mentally, but welcomed nonetheless. For now…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	19. Until they Fall

_So…before we move on to the next Chapter of 'Daylight's End', there's been some…events up here._

Marko: "We're the better bros! Don't you say anything otherwise!"

Ulm: "Yeah! We're friends since we started training together!"

Dre: "That's total bull! I and Marsh started our jobs at the same time for 'G' knows how long!"

Marsh: "Giving that fact, you're not better than us."

 _Yeah…while we celebrated yesterday, the two ex-cooks somehow arrived up here. It actually went pretty well for a while…until Dre and Marsh heard them using the term 'Bro'. Then they went onto a discussion on how each side views the other one-_

Marko: "Liar! There can't be better bros around than the two of us! That's the rule!"

Dre: "You're right. Bros are always here, but only two can be best bros. So go home already!"

Ulm: "No chance! We're settling this, right here! Right now!"

Marsh: "Sure, you won't win anyways! How do you want to settle this?"

 _And it only went downhill from there…_

'?': "Jeez, these guys surely are hot-headed. Kind of reminds me about a certain pair of mages…"

Hana: "No matter, I know how to split them apart." *Walks up to the two* "Well, since you 4 are in a pickle there has to be a solution. And I know just the right thing!"

*SLAM*

Hana: *Looks at 'Hearts' who stands behind a wooden barrel and two seats* "Thanks for the prep, 'Hearts'! I'll take another beer for that!"

'Hearts': *Nods and walks back behind the bar*

Ulm: "Not to interrupt you or anything, Miss-" *Shudders (due to past experiences)* "But what's the idea behind this?"

Dre: *Deadpans* "You're not serious, are you?"

Hana: "Nope! Ladies and Gentleman! You will participate in an old-fashioned arm wrestling contest!"

… _It…works? So, I'm up for it!_

'?': "Huh. Pretty weird when I see people like them not brawling their brains out." *Lights glow around him* "Hey, what's up with the light!?"

'G': "Seems like you're going back to your own consciousness. Remember, this place isn't your actual reality so any memory that happens in here, remains here…you'll be able to use the memories made here only if you would reappear in this place again."

'?': "Eh, fair enough. Well, thanks for the drink and goodbye!" *Disappears in a short flash*

 _He's a pretty laid-back guy. A shame that he had to leave that early. Well, everything has its time. Speaking of time, 'G'? *Grins* Care to do the honors for the 'Review's corner'?_

'G': "Sure, might as well." *Spawns in a yellow-colored envelope with green stripes as well as **'LucilliaNovaDreyar'** written on the front* *Cough* **"THIS IS SO AWESOMMEEEEE I CANT EVEN EXPRESS IN WORDS HOW FREAKING COOL THIS STORY IS! I cant wait for more! New favourite story"** "This review defiantly wasn't expected, but all of us are surely grateful for it." *Raises glass* "A gratitude zip to you."

 _He's right! After so much silence in the reviews, one surely doesn't expect such an awesome, energetic response! And then to even be your new favorite story, that's an honor. *Raises can of cola* A nice change of pace, feel free to read as long as you enjoy it. Same goes for everyone else._

Hana: "Alright then! Who of you four will go at it?"

Ulm: "Marko, you want to do it? I'm only good at shooting my crossbow, so you're the stronger one out of us two."

Marko: *Grins* "No problem man. I'll show those two what real best bros can do!" *Walks towards the barrel*

Marsh: "Dre, you're fine with competing?"

Dre: "Of course! These guys don't even know what'll hit them!" *Walks to the other side of the barrel*

 _Before these two start shouting insults at each other…'Hearts'? Would you be willing to do our disclaimer?_

'Hearts': *Nods and walks towards the audience*

'G': "Hmmm…how is he going to sound?"

 _No idea, but I'm curious myself._

'Hearts': *Waits for a second before raising a signboard, where 'This story and its OC's are reserved by MrFiretank, while any OST's and soundtrack's rights go to their respectful owners.' is written on*

Everyone: "HE'S NOT EVEN GOING TO TALK FOR THAT!?"

 _W-…When did he prepare…that signboard..?_

'G': *Deadpans* "No idea, but we should have expected that. Until they finished their competition, let's get on with the story…"

… _Yeah, for now-_

Hana: "The competition starts in 3!"

Marko: "You're going down!" *Prepares hand*

Hana: "2!"

Dre: "In your dreams!" *Grips Marko's hand*

Hana: "1!"

 _Roll the next Chapter!_

Hana: "LET'S GO!"

...

 **CHAPTER 19 – UNTIL THEY FALL**

* * *

"Gehaha…GEHAHAHA… **GEHAHAHAHA! I FINALLY KILLED RED! YES!** " 'This…can't be happening…' Sietta…threw herself in the way of his attack…just to save me. My eyes started to water at that sight, the same sounds could be heard in the back from the soldiers and Matsuri…

"H-Hey…*Cough*…*Cough*" _'She's not dead yet!'_ The wet coughing of the red-head herself snapped our attention back ahead. Even Dao (who was sure that he got a kill) snapped his eyes down to see the unbelievable sight only he'd be able to witness…

There was the heavily injured chief, claw stuck inside of her abdomen and blood going down her face…a hand of hers was weekly gripping his own.

"D-Don't…think…*Cough*…you could…c-cry…" Her halberd's grip was getting so weak that it started to slip out of her other hand.

*CLANG*

"…O-Over…a little…scratch…" 'S-Sietta…' Her other hand became limp whilst her eyes stared directly into Dao's bloodshot-like red ones. My eyes (meanwhile) still stared at where her only weapon laid…

…as I saw 3 fingers raised from the same limp hand…

"…A-And you…Dao…" I couldn't exactly see what her expression was right there, but it must have been painful regardless…the master's claw-like hand moved a bit…only for the man himself to freeze and stare madly at the red-head.

"… **What are you doing Red…YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!** " _'…!? She's gripping his hand, keeping it in place!?'_ I couldn't believe it. Even in this broken state, Sietta had enough strength left to trap him on the spot. The white-haired man was now trying to actively get his left hand out of her injury. But even with his full body pulling on it…the shock from our chief's action left him mostly froze.

"…D-Do you…know…the difference…between us…?" Her head moved slightly to the left, letting her twin ponytails swing to the sides as there was another grin on her features. But unlike the one from before, it was a calmer, smaller variation. Her eyes got shadowed over by the sun…giving her a menacing presence as she spoke:

"…Y-You…fight behind…*Cough*…all of…your little…goons…and your…mages…" Her expression stayed the same whilst moving closer to his.

"…You…hide yourself…b-behind your Dark Guild's name…" All of us just watched as Sietta became more and more confident in her words, getting louder with every second passing.

"You…can't even risk yourself or…you own body getting hurt."

" **Grrrr….JUST GET TO THE POINT!"**

"You aren't all high and mighty like…everyone said." The muscles on Dao's arms tenses, like he wanted to recoil at her words.

"You...*Pant*…You let the other members do the dirty work…while you just watch everything happening!" There were veins forming on the guy's forehead. His own eyes became shadowed over as Sietta raised her own head again, shouting on the end of her speech:

"THE TRUTH IS YOU AREN'T STRONG! **YOU'RE THE WEAKEST PERSON OUT OF EVERYONE HERE!"**

" **GRRAHHH! WHY AM I LISTENING TO YOUR BULLSHIT!? I'LL JUST END YOU RIGHT HERE! '** **TAKE OVER: LUPUS SOUL '!"**His right hand was engulfed in the same grey-white magic circle from before. As before, fur started to cover his arm, nails reformed into claws and his muscles gained on mass…

" **TIME TO DIE-!?"** Yet, mid-swing he stopped whilst his claw was stuck in the air. The reason for that…was Sietta's grin getting bigger from his response.

"It's my time to die? …That's a bunch of crap…" All of us weren't sure is she had just lost her nerves or her sanity…but she actually chuckled when Dao was about to kill her.

Though…there was one more thing that confused me. The 3 fingers on her limping arm…

...There were only 2 now… _'...!? JESSICA! I'll finish the incarnation for our spell, you just stay in this stance and attack when I say you to!'_ 'Wait, do you mean that-!?'

"I haven't trained…for over two years…just to be beaten by a weird douche like you!" The second finger on her hand disappeared, signalizing me that something was soon happening, so Luna didn't waste any time and finished the spell's charge for me.

'… _And reveal the truth to its bearer!'_ Sietta's feet angled slightly to the right as did her upper body. The hand that was gripping Dao's one got tighter when she shifted ever so slowly.

"And if you think that you're killing me today-" …Then it happened all at once.

Sietta turned her entire body whilst dragging Dao with her under ridiculous pain.

Dao (still under shock) was moved so far to the right, that he was clearly visible to me.

And he couldn't move away since Sietta kept him in place…

* * *

 _"…Alright…I won't be too much of a help in this state, but I could give you an opening. Just…charge it up until I give you the signal. Got that?"_

* * *

…giving me the chance to finish him. _'NOW CHILD! END THIS BATTLE!'_

"THEN REMEMBER THIS: **I'M WILLING TO GET HURT FOR MY FRIENDS!** " / "' **ABYSSAL COSMOS MAGIC: AURORA ARCADE SWING '!"**

The surge of aurora-green energy started to travel towards the pair of fighters at great speeds. Dao (from my vision) became slightly nervous, but moreover he felt anger rising in him when the shockwave was closing it.

Sietta thought just grinned all the way, holding his hand in place until the very last second before she pulled it out of her abdomen. She even used the pull's force to push herself away from Dao who tripped a step backwards…right into my attack's line of fire.

"…This one's for our home." / **"DAMN YOU, REEEDDDD!** "

 ***BANG***

When the attack connected, I only saw how Dao got hit in the chest, before a blast of dirt and my attack's resulting shockwave blew me away as Luna fell out of my weakening grasp…

* * *

"…What the!?" / "Whoa!"

The giant cloud of dust started to cover the entire battlefield, making everyone cover their eyes. Yorc and Trecht were able to only see the attack from Jessica connect. Now they tried to stand upright due to the massive shockwave that flew around the area.

'Full Blood's' men also got blinded from the debris, yet some of the remaining ones got thrown on their backs. Loeyur's forces were better prepared for this scenario (since they experienced it once) and held their ground.

"…Wait, IS THAT-!?" Trecht adjusted slightly faster…only to see their hot-headed superior fly through the sky…

"Yorc, **catch the damn girl** before she becomes flatter as she is!" His only battle partner ran ahead to Sietta's impact zone as fast as he could (ignoring the ambivalent comment) to safe her. The speed of her flight was nothing astronomical, yet there was a huge danger for the already heavily injured red-head. Deciding to center his entire attention on his close friend, Yorc threw both of his swords to the ground, allowing him to stop her fall in the first place.

Fast reactions and good timing on his part ended with Sietta safely landing in his arms. Unconscious, but safe…as good as her injured state could have counted safe.

To say that the partner of said red-head was worried was a definite understatement. Just seeing this giant gash in her stomach up close made his nerves boil in worry for his comrade and anger at 'Full Blood's' master…so much that he didn't spot the small shadow rising behind him.

*SHING*

"Y-You stay still, o-or else I'll slit your t-throat!"

He didn't turn around or tried to move much more as the weapon was a few inches away from his neck. Not because he was stuck, defiantly not. Yorc could easily ram his elbow into his enemy's chest and call it a day. Though, he didn't…mostly to not worsen Sietta's injuries through any sudden movements. Still…

"…And what if you have to?"

"H-Huh!?"

The ex-mercenary fought a lot of battles in his life, not many of them being one-sided. He knew when someone was afraid. And all together, the young voice behind him was probably sweating bullets. Being confident in his instincts, Yorc turned his head to the side, turning the voice even tenser.

"W-WHAT ARE DOING!? S-S-STOP MOVING! I-I'M S-SERIOUS!"

"…I don't think you're ready for that."

The counter was lightning fast, giving the boy behind him no chance. He was down on the ground after 2 seconds, short dagger clanking beside him. When everything registered, he just froze and stared at his opponent in fear. The tension was getting worse for both of them every second.

As Yorc moved one step towards the male, sweat and fear surfaced clearly on his enemy. His features had finally become visible: brown, short hair and young, dark-blue eyes. His clothes had only consisted of a huge piece of cloth…if it could have been even called clothing. He probably only reached to 2/3 of Yorc's height, having to perhaps stand on his toes to even reach his neck.

"W-WAIT! P-PLEASE!"

His hands were shaking, eyes became teary and fear filled his veins…he was cornered, and Yorc knew that. With that, he started walking towards him ever so slowly…

The boy had tears running down his cheeks as his eyes closed from the fear. 'He accepted his end…' The last step was intentionally louder than the other ones. Yorc had to adjust his grip on the injured chief as he freed one of his own hands. He then angled his upper body a bit forward, tightly holding the boy's shoulder…

"W-What are you doing!?"

…and heaves him up so he was standing again.

...

"...Why did do that?"

"W-What do you m-mean?"

"…He- *Cough* …means why you…hesitated…"

Both parties slightly jumped from the chief's voice. But here she was, barely awake and heavily breathing…but still alive.

Yorc wasted no time and set her down on the ground to let her body relax outside of his grip. Firstly, he needed to cover the giant wound on his chest. '…But with what?' As if his request was answered, his vision was slightly covered by an old speck of brown.

"..."

"…H-Here."

A small piece of the boy's torn-off clothing was presented before his eyes, functioning as a make-shift bandage as of now. Yorc's vision slightly shifted to see the boy's expression still filled with fear…but there was concern in his eyes.

"..."

"T-Take it…"

Sietta eyed their 'opponent' for a moment before suddenly giving a lop-sided grin. "Well…I think- *Cough* …I understand it…now." As her partner took the cloth and started to stop the bleeding, the boy just timidly stared at her. Loeyur's red-head (on the ground) complied by looking to the side, seeing the twins in the distance with the injured tactician held upright on their shoulders.

"…You're not…the only one…kid…" / "…Matsuri!? Fujimaru!? Duvac!?"

A small chuckle could be heard when the boy stared wide-eyed into the distance. "Are you now dragging children into the village-watchers' ranks, ma'am?" None other than Trecht had finally caught up with them after dealing with the remaining small fry. Another chuckle could be heard from the injured red-head…although there was a small undertone in her voice. '…Even I can't tell the difference in there.'

"…If I…wasn't lying right here…I'd rip your straw-hat apart…for that."

'…Scratch that thought.'

* * *

"Well…either he got blown apart…or straight up knocked out."

"Either way, Jess defiantly socked him with that~!"

"Yeah. We're lucky to have someone like Jessica as our friend."

Ex-'Full Blood's' trio of friends was currently standing beside their own allies, the twins holding their heavily injured friend over their both unprotected shoulders.

"…Are you sure you can hold me up like that? You're not in perfect health condition, Matsuri."

"No worries~! Anything for my friends!" A smile was crossing the bubbly mage's face. However, both males close to her knew that it was probably forced and that the pain from her left leg. Duvac could only mentally admire how his only female friend was able to smile at others even when being in so much agony. 'As the saying goes: _"The most broken people smile the brightest."_ '

"Hey! I'm glad you three made it through!" The twins and the advisor turned their heads to see the ex-cooks Ulm and Marko dash towards them. They weren't very visible due to the gigantic dust cloud that still didn't dissipate around the air, making breathing quite difficult.

"It's you again…and I see that your friend is accompanying you. How…are the others holding up?" Truth being told, Duvac was surprisingly unconcerned for the other fighters. Yet they assisted him and his friends at freeing their shackles, thus making him give a bit of acknowledgement for that. 'Mostly to girl that also befriended them…it's due to her that today's events even occurred.' Ulm was fast to reply with his question and smiled brightly as he answered:

"We didn't spot many of our own guys in this dust, but all of ones we spotted were mostly fine. I don't know about Jessica and Sietta though."

Duvac considered such a response quite rare. Usually (after a huge attack from 'Full Blood') he'd have to deal with dozens of injuries and crippled members. Although…there was a difference when dealing with them. Those who didn't serve any purpose either got…rid of or simply left behind. 'There weren't many people in Loeyur's ranks in the first place…quite a miracle that the few spotted ones could be in such a good state.'

"Wait, Jessica's still out there!?" And of course Matsuri started to panic the second her friends' fates are unknown. Her face turned with worry even between the sudden bursts of stinging pain.

"Uhm…I think that I saw how our chief got blown away from the blast."

"WHAT!?" / "Really!?"

That got a reaction out of everyone else.

"Are you sure, bro?"

"Yeah, Marko. I was scoping through the iron sights of my crossbow when her blast connected. Surely flew quite a bit of distance away…"

"Damn…hopefully someone stopped her-"

" **GGGRRRRAAAAAHHHHHHH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT, GIRLIEEEE!"**

* * *

' _Jessica!'_ 'Why now out of all times…Luna, I can't move!'

Dammit, why does my body stop suddenly like this? I was so **goddamn** sure that Dao was done for after our  strongest spell directly connected with his chest. But no…of course he had to stand up again, even madder than before and probably on his way to tear me into shreds. And now I was almost completely drained of magical energy… 'There was probably like 0.1% left…just enough to keep me alive. Crap.'

Speaking of Luna (by the way), her unreleased form wasn't in my hands anymore. And no, my body wasn't numb in the sense of: "Help me, I feel nothing anymore!" Nope, just couldn't move any limbs, only that.

' _I'm not that far away from your- …_ _ **YOU!** '_

" **Gehahahaha…I FOUND YOUR LITTLE TOY, GIRLIE!"** Suddenly there was a claw gripping my hair, forcing me to look upwards and…see probably the worst nightmare possible.

Dao was standing there, heavily breathing and visibly injured…whilst also completely covered in fur. The coat of his was still there, whilst his actual hair became ridiculously long. 'Super-Saiyan much?' The brown-colored irises of his eyes turned in full, feral red ones. Additionally, he now sported a snout with the complete row of sharp teeth and a fluffy tail. Did I forget to mention that Sietta's dried up blood was still on his arm's fur?

' _ **UNHAND ME, YOU VILLAIN!'**_ 'LUNA!?' No...No No NO! Seems like Dao meant Luna's released sword-form that was now lying in his other blood-stained claw, which was now dangerously close touching my throat, drawing blood. My guiding spirit's expression inside of my mind was turning into one of shock and more visibly…fear.

" **AH! Seems like there's actually someone inside of you fancy sword…HOW CONVENIANT FOR ME!"** The other claw that was holding on my hair suddenly let go, making my head fall due to gravity taking place once more. Sharp screeching could be heard outside of my limited vision as well as Luna's painful screams in my head.

' _GGGAAAHH! STOP THIS!'_

" **Aww, but why? IT'S BECOMING SO MUCH FUN RIGHT NOW FOR ME!"**

 ***SCREEECH***

' _AAAHHHHH! THIS…THIS PAIN!'_

' **LUNA!'**

Luckily, the feeling inside of my arms returned (if ever so slightly). First I could feel my nerves returning to life…

'OWWW!' Then there was stinging pain following up that sensation. 'At least they're usable again...' Given that I pushed my entire willpower into the moving of my upper limbs, they finally complied and moved over my head.

As they entered my own vision, there were small trails of blood on both my fingers and my hands. And I'm sure that my pinky isn't supposed to twist that way…

'Come on…just a bit more! …There!'

Seriously…only my arms were barely moving, I was probably injured (and I don't even know to what degree) and fighting was surely out of the question without any magical energy…so yeah, I did the only thing that was left in my possibilities.

Even if Luna was technically only a spirit…she was still a close friend of mine…and hearing her painful screams was something I couldn't bear.

Thus…

" **Grrrr….now what!?"** / _'JESSICA, NO!'_

A small piece of white fur was sticking out of my fist, which was lying next to my still body. The action caused Dao to stop his torturing intentions and look with…those menacingly red eyes straight into my fluttering, ocean-blue one. The other eye was still covered by black bangs…yet it was secretly closed in fear.

" **YOU! I completely forgot about you to be honest…but THANKS FOR THE REMINDER!"** There wasn't a single moment afterwards as he raised my own weapon over his head, letting the oversized blade gleam from the few rays of sunlight shining downwards.

' _YOU HAVE TO MOVE AWAY! I CAN'T STOP HIM IN TIME!'_ 'I'M TRYING!'

Outbursts of shock and rage came from my far left…probably from either the tired twins or our immobile troops…still, it wasn't distracting Dao in the slightest. The contrary is the case. His insane cackling (or whatever could have been considered as cackling within his werewolf-like form) sounded even more gleeful whilst Luna shouted mentally at me.

" **GEHAHAHA! DON'T THINK THAT I'LL DO THE SAME MISTAKE AGAIN!"** Mad laughter was the only thing I was actually registering…I couldn't even look my independent doom in the eye without being scared…what a 'fighter' I was…

" **Well, as a little parting gift, I'LL MAKE YOUR DEATH QUICK!"** The shuffling of feet was audible. 'HE'S GOING TO KILL ME! LUNA, **DO SOMETHING!** '

Unlike the other times where I was stuck in such a predicament, panic had already taken over me. When I fought against Yorc or 'Kirin', the determination to save all those people was stronger than the beginning's anxiety of this adventure. But Dao…

How do I say this the best…its pure fear. Everything inside of my body was screaming at me to run away from his killing intent and sheer level of magical energy flowing around him! His body, his expression, his, HIS LAUGHTER, EVERYTHING WAS SCREAMING DEATH FROM HIM! Thus, even my thoughts were filled with fright…

'Now I get why he's 'Full Blood's' master…only a maniac this intimidating would be fitting for such a position.'

" **NOW THEN! SEE YOU NEVER AGAIN!"** ***SHING* /** _**'NOOOOOO!'**_

 ***CLANG***

 **...**

" **What…WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"** / "...I'm sorry…boss, but…she was right…"

'… _!? *Gasp* You're…'_

" **GET YOUR STUPID HANDS AWAY FROM ME, IDIOT!"** / "I may…be slow….but I'm not stupid…"

That…was…

" **DAMMIT JAEHN! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO ATTACK** **THEM** **, NOT HELP THEM!"**

The friend of both twins…the only other mage who didn't even had a chance to battle beforehand…

"…And while I…was lying there…some stuff started to…uh…"

' _Make sense?'_

"…Yes! Uhm…yeah, they…made sense…to me. So…"

As my fear was slowly flooded away, some nerves and muscles close to my neck finally responded again. It took me a whole lot of energy until I was looking upwards, but I wasn't going to miss this moment of last second-plot armor helping me.

Lo and behold, there he was…Jaehn (heavily injured) was standing there, the 'Holy Moonlight Sword's' blade gripped so tightly between his hands that blood started to stream down Luna's unreleased form. There were cracks and ripples all over his hands… 'Right…I drained a huge part of his magic energy before dealing with Dao.' Speaking of mentioned psycho, Dao was desperately trying to get Luna out of his grip…failing as much as I was beforehand?

Wait, not quite. The sword did move every time he started shaking it. But it was only less than a centimeter with every pull. Unfortunately, Jaehn's grimace during all of this and the increased flow of crimson over time must have meant that Luna's edge was painfully cutting into his own fingers…

"…I decided something…I'll help them…since they treated my friends nicely." / **"WHAT!? JUST BECAUSE OF** **THAT!?"**

'Not good, he is becoming even madder now! There's not much time-'

* * *

 _"There is also one symbol carved into the side of your sword, but it's concealed by the cloth that's strapped around it. So don't worry too much about it. You might get to see it soon enough."_

* * *

 _If anyone holds onto the 'Holy Moonlight Sword' without my consent and attempts to use it, then Luna will use her own powers to overload the mentioned circuit, creating a magical explosion after a couple of seconds._

* * *

'Wait…LUNA! PLEASE TELL ME THAT THE CURCUIT IS ALREADY OVERLOADED!' This was the solution! Right now Dao was distracted completely! If he failed to feel the tingling sensation right now, then she could literally blast the magical energy out of his body!

' _Almost! It takes me longer since his '_ _Take Over: Lupus Soul_ _' has created a magical surge around his body that counteracts my own magic. Just a bit more!'_

" **I SWEAR THAT I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU STUPID MORONS FOR THAT!"** His muscles were now pulling on Luna's handle with full force, increasing the strain on Jaehn's grip and the flow of blood trailing down…

'I have to buy them time, somehow! But…what do I say...'

...

Well, they say that pressure can either block or spark one's creativity…and in that case, I only remembered the rage-inducing lines of Sietta…giving me possibly the best of worst ideas for my safely so far.

'Dad, you never told me to insult someone…but please forgive me for what I'm about to do!'

* * *

"Hana, let go of the beer bottle! It already cracked and you're only injuring yourself!" / "Dre's right! The worst part's already over! Stop!" The working partners were currently trying to release the blood-coated grip on their usually happy strawberry-blond. Shadowed eyes and a thin line had switched that expression.

'If she's keeping this up, I'll need to replace her with another worker that has two functioning hands. Besides…no, I can't let her keep this up.' 'G' was staring nervously (yet with a calm façade) at the commotion in 'Heaven bar's' front. After witnessing the giant explosion that took place, all workers (Hana included) had started to run wild and cheer with huge grins…

…Only to have these disappear at the sight of their favorite lying on the ground and that sick lunatic standing next to her…with the weapon in hand that was given by the guardian angel personally.

To say that she had mentally snapped could have been a metaphor like a volcano erupting and nobody realizing it. What actually caught everyone's attention was during the moment when Dao was about to kill the reincarnated girl as a few glass shards sprang from Hana's position.

Sitting unmoving, eyes fixated up to the screen and hands shaking from frustration…that she couldn't help her close friend and was about to technically fail her job again sufficed to throw her into a mental breakdown. Everyone had just watched her for a few seconds, feeling disturbed at the creepy sight only for the two worker partners Dre and Marsh to rush forward and try everything at removing the cracking husk that once contained alcohol.

'This is getting ridiculous.' Heaven's boss had enough, so he stood up from his back seat and started to walk towards his…friend, authority and decades of experience radiating around his presence-

"…Hey, you over-sized fur carpet!"

'…What?' The entre situation and everyone (even 'Hearts') froze when the…cocky and upbeat voice of their favorite mage rang through the television's loudspeakers. Even the shaking hands of Hana seized every movements when the line registered in their minds…

"Yeah, you stupid, drooling snow-snout! I'm talking to you!"

That got a few chuckles out of the crowd. Mostly from the backlines ('G' excluded), but the humor was there. Some could have even sworn that they heard Hana chuckle slightly at that.

Currently in the fight, Dao had stopped his struggle at getting the young mage's sword out of that giant's grip and snapped directly towards the girl as she still laid on the ground. Loud growling was speaking volumes on his mood…which could be considered as only one thing: royally pissed off.

"I have smelled the week old excrements of my cat and let me tell you: Your own body and brain is even worse than that!"

"Damn!" / "Hehehe! The kid got some guts!" / "That one must have been a burn for him!"

The crowd was 'howling' louder than the first time whilst Hana's shoulders were shaking heavily. 'I know where this is going.' A lot of habits were known around heaven about Hana…but only 'G' knew a few certain ones that any person would probably miss 90% of the time.

Actually, this behavior was only similar to those that had a certain self-control…not of the improved kind.

Whilst Dao was fuming, Jessica's voice became progressively louder, gaining on confidence over each syllable just like the hot-headed chief who used a similar tactic before.

'Seems like he isn't one of those…' To his sight on-screen, Dao was shaking with his entire body out of sheer rage…surprisingly he managed to clamp his snout shut even with all these pending emotions building up.

"Hey, Dao! The poachers were calling! They want their rotten rat coat back! You even call that decent clothing? I WONDER HOW MANY DOGS HAVE RELIEVED THEMSELVES ON THAT THING TO GAIN THIS ODOR!"

Now there was full blown laughter ringing around every open stop in 'Heaven bar'. People threw themselves on the floor, held their stomach's sides or held themselves somewhere upright. Though, all people drowned themselves in the young girl's humor. Even 'G' was barely audibly laughing behind a hand covering his mouth.

However…one entity trumped them all as her internal struggle finally ended with shards of glass clacking down on the counter-

 ***SMASH* *SMASH* *SMASH*** "AHAHAHAHAHA! I-I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! BWAHAHAHAHAAH! **THAT ONE WAS PURE GOLD, JESSIE!** AHAHA…AHAHAHA!" …only to smash her injured hand into the counter's wood, splintering it slightly.

'G' gave a concerned look towards the bartender…who simply stared back behind his heart-shaped, red-colored glasses and held up a bill between two fingers.

The only response that 'Hearts' got back for that was a deadpan stare. 'Why was I even worried…?'

* * *

" **SHUT UP YOU DAMN NUISCANCE!"** 'LUNA! I have nothing left! GET DONE ALREADY!' My mother would probably award me for getting so creative with insults- I'M GETTING DISTRACTED AGAIN! 'Save own life first, praises later!'

Surely, Dao hasn't taken kindly to my opinion, as he (instead of pushing more at Luna's handle) aggressively slammed his whole weight with claws and everything at Jaehn's torso, catching…him…off-guard, freeing the…oh no.

" **I'LL MAKE SURE YOU CAN NEVER JOKE AROUND AGAIN!"** '…You know what, forget what I said before. I DON'T WANT TO SEE MY OWN DEATH OCCURING! **LUNA!** '

' _I GOT IT! IT'S CHARGED!'_

Small sparks on Luna's handle flew into the air, distracting the werewolf-like psycho from getting his kill on me. That spark then created a small light around Dao's claw when there was the similar sound of an overloading reactor in the air. There was shock written all over 'Full Blood's' master, signalizing that he knew there was something about to happen.

…And seriously, blame me all you want…but I couldn't resist to let my inner movie-badass out…disregarding the disgraceful quote that escaped my mouth:

"Your times up, Dao."

 ***BANG***

...

...

*Thud*

...

…He…finally collapsed.

...

...His body…was reverting back to normal…

...

...Dao was seriously lying there…unconscious…without any magical resources left…

A full-grown smile crossed my tired expression as I just laid there, staring ahead with wide eyes and still frozen body. The feeling of my arms had left me during my jokes, leaving me at the grace of my own exhaustion.

' _But I have to admit…your jokes surely were creative. I'd be sure someone out there would give you praise for that…'_

'Later, Luna…for now, I just want to lay down and get some shut-in…'

My eyes closed with every second…darkness slowly claiming me once again…

"Je…ca! S…aw…! Get…med…now!"

There were the faint words of my friends and footsteps rushing towards me. Their voices could barely be heard from my own mind, but then I felt someone picking me up with their…huge arms…

"…I got…you safe…"

'Jaehn…?' There wasn't much energy left in my body, so I closed finally let the strain of my body claim my consciousness whilst a last thought was ringing in my head…

'Let me at least wake up in another bed…'

...

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): After I was done with writing this, I just looked down on the word count in 'Word' and saw over 5.5k down there…the highest I have written for over a few months (considering I take ages for 1 update)._

'G': "Well, maybe a sign for your writer's block drifting off."

 _Perhaps. Well, I'm tired and just want to go to sleep right now. Also, should you read this: I'm still about to add the OST's for this Chapter tomorrow. This only applies should you see the Chapter before the 10th of November, 2017. After that, see this message as unimportant._

 _Oh, and another thing I wanted to add: NEVER try to edit mistakes in spelling via. phone! I did this 1 hour after writing this and instantly regretted it, because it not only deleted all of my linebreaks, but it also deleted a few symbols on the story's first part...yeah, sorry if you had to read this with such a sloppy quality._

 _As such, I'll hit the hay now. Thank you for reading, stay awesome and as always…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	20. Facing Facts (Secrets)

_There's been some things happening while I was away! First, the two duos have finally settled their debate! And well…guess who took the win?_

Ulm & Marko: "WE OF COURSE!"

Dre & Marsh: *Sulking* "…"

Hana: "Suck it up already!" *Slaps them on the back* "You guys lost to them fair and square! So stop acting like crybabies."

'G': *Stares* "At least you can keep some dignity whilst doing so."

Jessica: *Mutters to herself* "Not like I have much left after last time…"

 _Oh, yeah! Up second: Jessica and Luna actually decided to come here once again! It's nice to meet you two again, Luna in her real form in particular._

Luna: _'I may be a ghost-like entity, but it's not like I never take part in anything that my c- Jessica does.'_

Hana: *Notices Luna's slip-up* "Hmmm…yeah. Like she said."

Marko: "Blah- hurry up already! We want to claim our prize!"

 _*Sigh* These guys…alright! Since Ulm and Marko have won against Dre and Marsh, said duo can demand a certain thing of their choosing!_

Dre: "And we already thought of something!"

Marko: "Yeah! We want you to make it so that…"

Dre and Marko: "Reserve the term 'Bro' only for the two of us!"

'G': *Stands up abruptly and slams hands on his table* "Absolutely denied!"

Marko: *Cries out* "DAMMIT!"

Dre: "Fine…just let them pay for our drinks today and we're even..."

'G': "…Consider it done."

 _Next up, we still have another unpaid debt that was left alone for a while… *Smirks*_

Hana: *Pales* "Crap…why did it have to be right now!?"

 _Ah, no dodging it this time! For my request, I demand that you…won't verbally talk with anyone-_

Hana: "Ha, I can do that for a few hours-"

 _-for a WEEK._

Hana: *Gapes at Fire* "…" *Glares* *Raises her undamaged hand*

Jessica: "…And she's actually giving him the-" *Eyes get covered by Luna* "Luna, what are you doing!?"

Luna: *Stammers* _'I-I don't think that seeing such a display of vulgar expressions w-would positively affect your p-personality!'_

Jessica: "My what!? LUNA! I'm a decently-sized teenager, not a new-born infant!" *Throws a tantrum*

Everyone: "She's…not really that tall." / "Kind of reminds me of Napoleon." / "She's supposed to be how high in body size?" / "I and my bro…aren't really convinced."

Jessica: *Gets even angrier* "STOP AGREEING WITH HER! NONE OF YOU ARE HELPING! **AND** **I DON'T HAVE A NAPOLEON-COMPLEX!** "

'G': 'And I just finished dealing with Hana's ranting…I never get a break, do I?'

 _Uh…before our main character starts to chop anyone alive here into cheese slices, we'll just resume with our 'Review's corner'! There has been another addition after the last Chapter went live, so…if anyone's willing to read it?_

Hana: *Grabs a pen and a notepad* *Writes on the notepad and shows it to Fire* 'Why don't you let Jessica read it since she's here already? …And it might calm her down.'

 _Good idea! Hey Jessica, would you (as our guest of honor…technically) like to read out our latest review?_

Jessica: *Calmed down* "Fine…just, give it here." *Grabs a dark-grey envelope with a snow pattern printed on it, **'StormspearHusky'** was written on its front* *Opens letter and reads out slowly* **"Liking it those insults at the end there were not half bad. Keep up the good work."** "Uhm…thank you?"

Luna: *Hugs Jessica from behind* _'See? Someone_ _did_ _give you credit where it was due!'_

Jessica: *Blushes and mumbles* "I…uh…uh…let's move on!" *Gets also hugged by Hana*

Hana: *Shows a slip of paper that reads: 'I had the time of my life while watching that performance! You should work as a stand-up comedian in your future!'*

Jessica: *Blushes even harder* "Uh…uhm…uh…"

 _Stop it, you're breaking her! …Even though she looks cute like that. Yeah, without much further ado, let's go on with the disclaimer and then jump right into our next Chapter!_

Dre: "Since we had to pretty empty our wallets for this…'fair' competition, let us have the honors!"

 _I see no problem with that._

Marsh: "Thank you." *Turns towards the audience* "Now then, ladies and gentlemen. Before you start reading the newest release of 'Daylight's End', be aware that the rights for this story and its current OC's are reserved by MrFiretank. So before anyone tries to use our characters for anything…ask him first for his confirmation."

Dre: "He's right there!" *Puts a hand on Marsh's back* "Also, any song that we mention (which also counts for OST's) has its own rights reserved by their respectful owners. When you want to use them for anything, bug them, not us!"

Jessica: *Lights start to glow around him* "Hmmm? Seems like it's our time to move, Luna."

 _Someone already explained you how it works?_

Luna: *Winks* _'I chatted with her while these buffoons had their little debate. Well, until next time!'_ *Disappears*

Jessica: "Bye everyone!" *Waves before disappearing as well*

 _*Sigh* They at least could have stayed a bit longer…whatever. With nothing else left to do-_

Hana: *Slams another note on the audience's screen where 'NEXT CHAPTER NOW!' is written on in a messy font*

 _Seriously Hana!?_

 **...**

 **CHAPTER 20 – FACING FACTS (SECRETS)**

* * *

If I would have awakened in nothing shorter than a king-sized bed, any troubles from the latest events might have been forgettable. 'But no, of course I had to wake up to the sounds of my loud friends screaming away from 'Full Blood's' cave.'

Yeah, after our small war with Dao and his lackeys we had to take a full day off, wasted with loading all the stolen stuff into our carriages, ensuring that most of the goons couldn't run away (excluding Dao and Jaehn. The former one had to be chained in their personal hostage room whilst the latter was allowed to be left unshackled…after Matsuri used a pair of semi-cartoonish puppy eyes on Sietta, making her shake entirely before willing in) and of course to treat our own numbers.

Out of everyone, Sietta was defiantly injured the worst. 'Even if we didn't count the literal hole in her stomach, she had still suffered the most damage…' And no, I wasn't that badly off.

Turns out that whilst my prone body was resting in the back carriage (again), I was treated to my injuries after our chief's critical condition was taken care of. A twisted finger, quite a multitude of cuts and some first-degree burns were the only things that I received out of our battle with that…maniac. Besides that, I reached the close point of magical exhaustion while we fought (hence why my body had literally shut down). Combine that with the physical exhaustion of my body and you get the general idea of what happened with me during all of this.

Though, the list would have been much, much longer if it wasn't for our red-haired tank of a fighter. Organ damage, huge blood-loss, broken bones (mostly her arms), torn skin, second-degree burns all over her torso…the list went on and on, turning my friend's expressions slowly but surely into a sad frown.

"OI! DON'T YOU DARE PITYING ME NOW! It's not your fault that I'm lying here!" …That happened just 6 hours after our battle. Yeah, Sietta was probably inhuman at this point (considering that she hadn't used any sort of spell), yet they all looked down on the ground when she said that…and kept staring...

"…*Sigh*…Yorc, if you would?" I wasn't told any of the events that occurred afterwards, but when I awoke at the dawn of (some) morning, Trecht had a bump on his head…just like the rest of the others.

…Honestly, I was pretty much oblivious to the whole depression around our camp before I woke up somewhere during our travel back to Loeyur. True, huge amounts of exhaustion (physically and mentally) caused to take a trip into dreamland for a bit over 2 entire days…which meant-

"Are we there yet?"

"No, squirt. And you're supposed to be resting!

"Brother, why isn't this going any faster!?"

"You don't want to leave them behind, right?"

What could I say? Our own village was only a few ways away and everyone was walking like snails!

"Can't we walk faster, everyone? We can rest when we're there!"

"Jess is right! It's not that far! Can't I just run ahead?"

"NO!" / "NO!"

' _Hehe…are you sure that your age isn't getting the better of you, child?'_ 'I'm not THAT young! You're…just assuming things.' _'Mmhh…right.'_ I was slowly starting to get tired of others judging my behavior…and my mind started to turn into an Edward Elric rip-off…at least my hair wasn't as bright as the sun.

"Hey, I see the wooden gate ahead!"

"SWEET FREEDOM!"

"WAIT, MATSURI!" / "YOU'RE NOT OUT OF TROUBLE YET, **SO MOVE YOUR ARSE BACK**!"

A tired sigh sounded behind me as the signature straw hat of Trecht walked past me. All in all, his body didn't take that much damage since he and Yorc pretty much went commando back there. Their little bet (which was explained to me after I woke up) both raised their spirits as they fought on, pretty much beating every thug in the way.

Back to reality, Loeyur's precious brewer adjusted his personal hat with a single hand as he held his wooden hammer in the other one. "If this goes on, Sietta will lose her voice from all the screaming…not forgetting the high blood-pressure." There was a slight undertone to his voice…but I couldn't make out what-

"And then the whole bet with Yorc…now I owe that guy a jug…for free!"

'That's what he was sad about!?' Scratch my previous thoughts. Once a miser, always a miser.

Speaking of his greediness: We managed to load every single piece of stolen goods into the three carriages…actually, just the front and middle one. Since I (and Sietta…for a shorter period) had basically reserved the make-shift medical room for myself, there wasn't as much space as originally planned.

Really, nothing went according to plan. But what did you expect from me being here?

' _You're not an experienced fighter, but don't sell yourself short. Even with me commanding you around, let me tell you that there was potential.'_ 'Well…if you say so.' Since our fight, 2 of the 3 carriages had been loaded full with rare spices, food, jewelry and lots and lots of gold.

Trecht had spent the first hour after our battle inside of Dao's office, just caressing the valuables with his own hands and sparkles flying around his eyes…no idea how that happened, but it did. He almost bathed himself in that cramped up 'room' which reeked of blood and…other foul odors. But no matter what the others told him, our brewer simply dismissed their concerns in the easiest way possible.

He promised everyone a free drink during his little escapade…that ended as soon as he realized his own words.

"Wait, hold on! I take it back! Just…get that stuff moved!" After that, he tried to visibly contain his greediness, failing miserably during the whole trip as he took it upon himself to quote on quote: "Making sure that nothing goes missing as we travel back". _'In reality, it's more of a possibility that_ _he_ _takes a piece for himself than any of us…'_ 'Yeah.'

Yet, it was also his pride that got hurt in the process. Sure, the promise of handing out a self-brewed beverage without payment was depressing him. Although that, he was sometimes looking ahead, spotting Sietta's partner and 'Second-in-command' Yorc. Since I had technically lived only for 3 days in Loeyur, I was completely oblivious about the rumors that went around the streets. Marko was nice enough to let me know that our dear straw-hat wearing friend had…a dislike to losing bets.

Also, guess what? The day that Trecht cheered for me during my little ritual against Yorc, he was sneaky enough to make bets with a few of the village-watchers and even Lindheim himself in advance.

He received a pair of puppy-eyes for that. Now I was looking forward to a meal paid by himself, cooked by Ulm and Marko who wanted to show off their skills a little. Just the thought of a well-cooked steak made my mouth water…

"For being such a skilled leader and fighter herself, Sietta seems rather…emotional." With my mind drifting back to reality, I failed to notice Duvac who walked to the other open side beside me. His entire stomach-area had been wrapped in bandages and medication, making the poor guy look like a semi-mummy.

His impact against the tree had resulted in multiple fractured and broken ribs, yet he miraculously suffered close to no organ damage. He (together with Matsuri) was patched up one day after the whole ordeal, free to do as they pleased while staying in Sietta's eyesight. The blonde's brother hasn't received as many injuries (counting in the bullet that was lodged in Matsuri's leg), so he was pretty much stuck with babysitting his sister-

"STOP MOVING SO FAST OR THE CRUTCHES WILL BREAK!"

Oh, did I forget to mention? Even with one leg entirely bandaged up, she could move just as fast as before, thanks to two wooden crutches that got carved out of a tree on our way. Courtesy of Yorc and the bros-

"Jessica. You're drifting off again." _'Oh…just what is wrong with me today?'_

Duvac was nice enough to wave a hand in front of my eyes, dragging me into reality for probably a third time today. I silently thanked him with a nod and proceeded to look ahead again. Much to Marko's words, there were the familiar wooden gates of their…no, our hometown in sight. A wide grin spread on my face as the usual commotion piped up in the distance.

"Ah, home sweet home. Finally I can go back to brewing some more stuff!"

"Trecht? You're…forgetting something."

"…*Sigh*…After I treated you to lunch or course."

* * *

The proud owner of his 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' was going on to his usual business, serving the normal villagers and sweeping the floor once in a while after a 'accident' happens inside his 4 walls.

Regulars and newcomers alike have already walked through the doors, either looking for a good drink, some place to chat and relax or simply both. Experience over the years led to him opening the doors to this place for over 5 years now. He has technically seen everything.

So imagine his surprise at the new man who just walked into the bar. The talking around every seat quieted down by a bit, yet it resumed to normal volume over a few seconds. Mentioned visitor sported messy orange hair with a stubby beard. A black coat with high-collar, a pair of dark pants and simple shoes completed his attire as black eyes scanned every angle of his bar.

But what stood out the most were his two prosthetic limbs, entirely made out of steel, appearing more like armor. Yet he spotted the difference with a bit of trouble. However, his own nerves were far from relaxed.

'He doesn't look like one of the common bunch…maybe a traveler? Possibly, but if he has connections to 'Full Blood' then-'

"Uhm…are you alright there?"

"GAHH!"

While we had analyzed the man before him, said man somehow managed to appear in front of his face, making the bartender reel back in surprise. Up close, the bar owner could make out two columns of stiches on his chest, yet they were pretty well hidden by his coat. 'Well…he surely doesn't behave himself like any of those ruffians…if not by much.'

"Whoa! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you there."

"Uhm…*Cough*…It's alright, sir. I just didn't expect such…unusual behavior. Are you perhaps traveling through Loeyur for the first time?"

His newest customer sat down on one of the free barstools, kicking back his legs and letting out a relieved sigh as he spoke up.

"Yeah. Actually, I didn't intent to travel here in the first place."

"Oh, and what changed your resolve, if I may ask?"

"Ah, that one's simple. I was sent here to deal with some bad guys! Know any?"

All sounds suddenly stopped around the two, glasses either freezing mid-air or even clattering on the ground. Both men looked around to see every person gaping at them. There even was a pair of seniors in the back who fell down from their seats, several others rushing towards them and helping them up but not losing their surprised expression.

"Did…I say something wrong?"

"No, it's just…the situation is kind of complicated. Why don't you relax for a little bit as we'll stay here talking for a while?"

"Sure, I'm desperate for some alcohol. Got anything good here?"

The bartender's face lightened up a little as he walked to the right side of his huge shelf behind the bar counter. There, he grabbed a huge bottle filled with a golden substance, looking carefully produced yet not too expensive at the same time.

"This is a special little something created by our local brewer. He took a year's time to create this brand's signature taste as he went under every step of production."

"That sounds good…but don't you have something simpler? Ale would do the trick for me…"

"Uh, of course! Mentioned brewer also brought in a batch of his own ale a little under a week ago. You can enjoy its taste as we talk about any questions left of you. Does that sound better?"

"Yeah, let's do that. But hurry up, alright? I haven't had something good like that for years!"

"Right…"

* * *

"Wow that was good!"

"True, can't even complain about the potatoes."

"The fish was well grilled, it was so yummy~!"

"Nothing left to criticize. Indeed a very good meal."

As everyone decided to split up any go on their ways (before we got out of the crowd of cheering citizens), Trecht had basically bailed out before he had to pay for anything. I was left pretty grumpy at that. Though before I could become actually mad at him, the twins decided to calm me down and treat me to lunch on their own money!

I actually had my own stuff with me after a quick stop to the old lady's inn who caught me in a bone sweet hug. Matsuri also hugged me from behind, leading to confusion which got sorted after a bit explaining. Of course I had to leave out the fact that all 3 other mages were formally part of 'Full Blood', since there was no way to predict the outcome if the truth came out.

So, with my personal bag, my money and electronics I could make my way to a tasty treat.

"So, how much do we have to pay?"

"Jeez, do I have to spell it out to you!? You're friends of Jessica and we promised to cook for her. Since you helped us out quite a lot, consider this our gratefulness."

And how to make this day better than with a well-cooked meal by the two bros Ulm and Marko? The restaurant at which they worked together was quite a bit away from the town hall, close to the outer parts of Loeyur. The owner (as he spotted the two) instantly ran up to them and praised them for their commitment. However, the talk was short-lived when Ulm asked the owner if they could use their kitchen and ingredients, to which she agreed as long as they don't clear to entire storage.

I had gotten a god-like steak with baked potatoes and a side-salad. Fujimaru had gotten the same as me while Matsuri got a grilled fish instead of any meat. Duvac was obstinate at first, yet he settled himself with a batch of pasta and cheese-sauce. During our meal, all of us were left in bliss as the wonderful taste filled our senses. We even shared a bit of each other's meals…well, mostly me, Fujimaru and Matsuri. The tactician was still left stoic, yet he visibly relaxed during our lunch.

Ulm and Marko on the other hand were left in the kitchen, enjoying their old job too much to stop right there as they even prepared a dessert of us…which gave us some time to talk.

"So, how long have you been living here Jessica?"

"Uhm…not that long actually. I just…traveled here…and kind of stayed."

Even though I wasn't looking at him, the cold brown-red irises of Duvac were surely staring at my face. Judging from his expression at the corner of my eyes, I felt their intensity…meaning that he was thinking of something… 'Oh crap.'

"Wait, don't you refer to Loeyur as your village, or am I missing something Jess?"

"NO! I-I mean no. Yes, I refer Loeyur like that, but only since Trecht told me I was accepted by everyone here."

"Hmm…"

Now there was a hand resting under Duvac's chin, his gaze turning even more suspicious. 'Abort, abort! NOT GOOD!' _'Calm down! Panicking won't help your situation, child.'_

"May I ask a question of my own?"

"Uhm…" _'On the other hand…'_ 'NOT HELPING!'

Time was running out for me…and my anxiety was not playing into my favor. I had to play my cards out right-

"Were did you start your travel from?"

…Crap.

I was unconsciously rubbing my uninjured hand on my nape as I felt a small trail of sweat forming on my forehead. Hasty thoughts racked through my brain as I tried to come up with something! Anything! And the fact that Duvac was reading me like a book wasn't helping me in the slightest.

Could I really tell him anything without spilling the beans?

*Ring*…*Ring*…*Ring*

W-What?

"Fuji, do you hear that as well?"

…But…how?

"I think that the sound is originating from Jessica's bag."

Still confused as hell, I grabbed into the compartment on the inside to feel…my smartphone ringing. I just grabbed it while my mind was somehow trying to find a logical solution.

…

…

…

'HOW IS IT EVEN WORKING IN EARTH LAND!? WE'RE NOT EVEN IN THE SAME UNIVERSE! SO HOW-'

Wait…there was one-

"Hello, is this thing on? Jessie! Are you there?"

…No way…

"Hello! Are you a friend of Jess~?"

Wait, since when is Matsuri holding my phone!? 'Any why is she holding it in front of her face!?'

"Uhm, careful with that Matsuri! …Also, do you see the side with all those buttons? Hold that against your ear if you want to speak."

"Oh, alright! ...Hello, I'm Matsuri! What's your name~?"

"…"

"Uhuh…ohhhhh, you want to speak with Jess~?"

"…"

"I call her Jess because I like that name! Isn't it cute?"

"Uhm, Matsuri?"

"Sister?"

"Right? That's why I picked it! Anyway, here! It's for you, Jess~!"

"Uhm…thanks? …Hello?"

"Oh, there you are Jessie! Finally, it took me a while to reach out to your timeline, but now I can call you!"

Okay…I have experienced a lot of things in here already…but this? I…just…I can't…

"Don't sweat it, I will explain this to you some other time! Anyway, how are you doing?"

Mind reading, right. I forgot. And I expected this to already be over. Well, I haven't heard a lot from Hana (or 'G' in that matter) for a while, but this is…unexpected?

' _An acquaintance of yours, child?'_ 'Uhm, sort of…'

Hey, wait a minute! If I have the possibility to talk with Hana…

"Uhm, could I hand you over to a friend of mine and you answer his question?"

"Eh? Sure, why not! Just hand him your phone, alright?" 'YES! Thank you!' "*Chuckle* No problem, just hurry up."

I hand Duvac my phone over the table as he curiously stares at it for a moment, before holding it just like I told Matsuri to. His gaze thought didn't leave me for one second. 'He must be crazily suspicious now! Luckily I got Hana to explain it to him. Please let this work!'

"Who am I speaking to?"

"…"

"Alright. Would you please explain me from where her own journey started?"

"…"

"…When exactly?"

"…"

"...Fine, we'll meet each other there. Until evening."

A beep was heard from his side as he handed me my phone back. Duvac had closed both of his eyes in deep concentration…

"And?"

"Your friend said that we'll meet her in the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' around evening and that she'll explain everything to us there."

"Yay! We get to me Jess's friend~!"

…Huh?

…HUH!?

* * *

"I see…this is indeed quite a difficult spot where you're all stuck in."

"True, yet we try to make the best out of it." The two men within the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' had finished their rather extensive talk, both parties having said everything that has to be said.

The bartender had explained everything to his newest customer, who in the meanwhile had enjoyed a whole jug of the brewer's finely created beverage, savoring every gulp of it. It took almost an entire hour, since he had to treat his other customers as well as clean up a few shards from the broken glasses, yet he managed to tell the whole tale up to the point where the convoy of liberators moved out. He didn't have more confirmed information than that...but there were rumors of the village-watchers' return. He'd just have to wait and see it for himself.

"Anyway, thanks for the talk! Do…you know where I could travel next?"

"Well…you could try to go to the town hall and speak with mayor Lindheim. He can answer any insider-question that's left."

"Nice. Maybe I'll visit this place again when I get near your village. Until next time!"

"Safe travels!"

The bartender was quite happy after his longer talk. It was as if a weight was removed from his heart. After everyone heard rumors of the convoy arriving back in their own place, joy was going around everywhere in Loeyur. Now he could finally work properly again and earn a fair share from his business without the risk of going bankrupt.

 ***CRASH***

That is if he didn't lose everything from paying bills for covered damages.

"Whoops…didn't see the exit."

"MY WALL!"

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): Well…there is a bit of explaining to do, huh?_

Old man: "Better do it quick, Fire. It's getting late."

 _Right…so everyone…school started again, so the updates will take quite a bit longer than usual. So, apologies in advance, but the next Chapter will take a while until it gets released. But still, I hope you enjoyed this release of 'Daylight's End'!_

 _As my saying goes…_

 _The Sir's out!_


	21. Setting an Ultimatum

Lucifer: "Oh the poor boy~. Just started enjoying his free time and now he's already back in school~."

Hana: "Sucks to be him…although a little bit of education doesn't harm him really…"

'G': 'Says you…' "That's how modern society works."

 _WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!? *Looks outside his classroom's window and sees all 3 entities outside on a branch*_

Hana: *Whisper-shouts* "Don't worry, we're just watching you for entertainment! Think like we aren't really here!"

'G': "I'm technically here to ensure that you two don't pull off any stunts."

Lucifer: *Glances at 'G'* "Oh lighten up, Garrison~. At least you're not stuck in that horrendous office of yours."

Teacher: "Fire! Are you listening to the lesson or are you slacking off again!?"

 _I-I'm listening ma'am! I swear!_

Teacher: "Then can you tell me answer to the equation on the board?"

 _Right, the answer is….the….answer is…_

Lucifer: *Holds up a signboard where the 'answer' is written on*

'G': *Grumbles, then takes the signboard out of Lucifer's hands as he overwrites it with the correct answer*

Lucifer: *Glares* "Do you have to be such a killjoy, Garrison?"

'G': *Holds the signboard up to Fire again* "Just doing my job."

 _*Looks to the side* Uhm…the answer is 3.65?_

Teacher: "…Correct. For the sake of your other classmates, would you please refrain yourself from raising your own volume in the future?"

 _Yes ma'am…_

Hana: "Aww, no fun! Guess we'll have to do everything again whilst Fire's stuck there, right?"

'G': "Yes, but this time you're going to help us out, Lucifer."

Lucifer: *Raises eyebrow* "Why should I bother myself with such mundane and repetitive tasks?"

'G': "Because we're not bothering you anywhere else while you're probably planning something sinister again like last time, right?"

Lucifer: *Deadpans* "…Just give me the letter already and let's get this over with." *Holds out his hand*

Hana: "This time it's not a review, so 'Review's corner' seems a little out of place. Eh, what counts, counts. For you information, it's a PM." *Gives Lucifer a black envelope with a deep-red cross printed on the back whilst **'kaizero6'** was written on the front*

Lucifer: "Hmm…an intriguing design…" *Opens the letter and reads out in his sweet voice* **"Hello, fantastic story. I'm talking about you daylight ends story."** "I'm quite sure that Fire would appreciate such nice words…although they make my mouth reek…no offense."

Hana: *Stares ahead* "That is if he ever gets time to read this…"

'G': "True…well, because he's sitting there for a while, I'll just jump to the disclaimer for now." *Coughs, then looks to the audience* "The rights for 'Daylight's End', its OC's and any OST's (or songs) are reserved by their rightful owners, so that they don't have to sue half the world."

Lucifer: "Now, with all...unrequired objectives out of the way-"

Teacher: "Fire, why did you just write that on the blackboard?"

 _*Glances at the blackboard where 'Roll the next Chapter!' was written on and shrugs* I just felt like it._

Hana: *Deadpans* "He'll never get over himself, will he?"

'G' & Lucifer: *Deadpan* "No, he won't."

 **...**

 **CHAPTER 21 – SETTING AN ULTIMATUM**

* * *

The blond streaks of Matsuri were following us around like a lost puppy, glancing everywhere and looking interested at the different stalls.

"Up there you have to walk left. By the way, why do he have to go to the town hall again, Duvac?"

"Your friend requested that we bring the chief with us and since it's almost time, we need to find her right now."

* * *

After our delicious lunch from Ulm and Marko, all of us decided to pretty much split up and explore Loeyur a bit. Well, I did walk around here for a bit already…but since I had Luna with me now I thought that some sightseeing wouldn't do any bad for her.

Of course we didn't just stare at everything and even got a little productive during those hours. We visited the weapons store close to the village-watchers' base. Mentioned store was pretty much in charge for the entire armory and weaponry around here, giving Sietta, Yorc and their soldiers the required gear as it was funded by Lindheim.

The store in itself wasn't impressive based on size. There was just a small sign on the outside, displaying a battle-axe crossing a sword behind a shield, all of it burned carefully onto a plank of wood. It gave of the vibe of one of these old shops over a century ago.

However, what it lacked in impressiveness from the outside was easily replaced with awe. Almost every wall was completely littered with combat weapons, armor pieces and utility gear. Even Luna gave a small mental whistle as she commented: _'For such a laid-back village, their craftsmen surely possess a lot of skill. Even in the terms of forging.'_

My gaze was so focused up ahead that I failed to spot that bulky guy coming up behind me as a chuckle made me jump. That just caused him to chuckle even louder as I started to pout a little.

"That side of the wall is filled with the standard gear of our own village-watchers. If you're looking for something more unique, just follow me!" He was pretty much your stereotypical blacksmith, sporting short, grey hair, one brown eye as the other one was covered with an eyepatch and had the manliest beard imaginable. His clothes only consisted of a tank top and a pair of ripped yellow shorts. Lastly…he was barefoot, no socks, no footwear, nothing. 'Huh, doesn't that hurt on sharp stone?'

We walked to the other side of the store where only raw materials rested atop of lazily piled stacks. A well-used workbench stood at the left corner where a half-finished harness rested upon, which looked pretty similar to Sietta's old one.

"So then, little miss. What would you like to have?" 'Wait a minute, didn't he say that the good ware would lie here?'

"Uhm, sorry to asking this, erm…"

"Ah, where are my manners? The name's Wallace, but everyone calls me 'Wall' because of my profession!" 'No kidding, the guy looks like he was ripped out of an action movie!'

"Ok 'Wall', but…where is the gear that you told me about?" Another booming laugh was the only thing that I received as a response. _'Well, laughing is good for your heart and soul.'_

"Well, this corner is specifically here for custom requests! I create every piece in this store myself, so it isn't a wonder that there are some weirder variations." Walking up to his own workbench, he grabbed the fine-crafter leather armor. Wall held it before my curious eyes, turning it around at every angle. "For example, this piece here was requested by the chief herself! You're already acquainted, no?"

* * *

 _"THEN REMEMBER THIS:_ ** _I'M WILLING TO GET HURT FOR MY FRIENDS!_** _"_

* * *

"You could say that we're more than…acquaintances." I barely managed to suppress a shudder at the bruised and bloody image of the red-head during our fight. If it weren't for her heroic entrance and sheer will, I'd probably be in the gutter for the second time.

"So already on her good side, huh? Well, good for you! Anyway, Sietta wanted me to create something similar to the armor that she always wore. So I used the same leather like last time, but took a bit of it away at the sides to make it lighter. Don't worry, these spots are technically unnecessary!"

True to his word, there were a few parts on the arm holes and neck hole that seemed shorter than last time, as if he had just taken a pair of scissors and cut off any unrequired piece.

The huge guy put his own work away again whilst grabbing a measuring tape as he held me in place with a firm grip on my arm. "Now then, let's get to your equipment!" 'EH!?'

"What do you mean with that!? I never ordered anything!" I was kind of shaking in my boots, given that the tall guy in front of my face not only towered over me (like everyone else), but he also had this excited gleam on his face. You know…for example, when you're very young and receive some presents on Christmas, that was exactly him.

"Oh, no need to be afraid! You see, when the chief gave her order to me, she also requested that I'd craft you something for your own weapon as well!" _'Something specifically crafted for myself…This sounds rather interesting.'_

"Wait, she ordered something for me?"

"Yes, it was a short request, but it was meant honest."

* * *

" _So, you want me to create what exactly?"_

 _Wall had just finished to plan out the brand new harness inside of his mind for the chief. It would have been made by the same type of hide, yet it would also be lighter than the first result._

" _Oh, Wall. One more thing before you start working." His gaze shifted to the exhausted chief of the village-watchers. She had bandaged peeking out of her clothes everywhere, yet she seemed to just shrug off any pain or sign of tiredness._

" _The squirt that fought with us…"_

" _Oh, do you mean the young mage?" He heard of the girl before when they started their journey to 'Colossus Mountain'. She seemed to have worn some…different clothes than them and was less than experienced in fighting (according to Yorc), yet she possessed some knowledge about single-target combat and swordplay. Also there was supposed to be a strong will with her, but that wasn't confirmed yet._

" _Yeah. See, her weapon is rather…unique, so to say. Problem is, she always carries the damn sword around in her hand." Sietta gave him a knowing look, understanding what he was thinking inside of his own mind._

" _So you…want me to craft a scabbard for it?"_

" _Yeah, use something that will last for a while when creating that thing, and also give her a way to carry it herself on the back or side."_

" _Will do. But who's going to pay for that?"_

" _Don't care. Just give the bill to Lindheim or so, he'll understand it."_

" _Alright."_

* * *

"I had originally planned to ask for your presence within the next days, but seeing as you're already here I thought that we could get your measurements first before I get to work." There wasn't even a response from my side before Wall started walking around me, using his measuring tape everywhere on my body… 'I feel kind of violated right now!' _'Trust me, it could be way worse.'_ '…Why did have to say that!?'

Trying his best to get him off of me I pushed him away numerous time, only to fail when I pushed myself away. The guy just laughed at my silly reactions, writing down numbers and other things down in the meanwhile.

"Can't we do this at a later date!?"

"No. You're already here and I started my work, so just sit still!"

"…Then let me at least sit down somewhere first."

* * *

It took us over 3 hours. 3. FULL. HOURS. My legs were so tired out that I fell on my face when he was actually done with taking my measurements, only to receive a chuckle from Wallace and a somewhat pitying expression from Luna.

But alas, the wait was worth it since I was now walking with the twins and Duvac to the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern', sporting a brand-new scabbard on my back that was held there by a strap of solid cloth. Everything became pretty heavy as I holstered Luna inside of it (and not to forget that I still had my shoulder bag with me, thus pretty much doubling the weight on my poor back), yet I could still walk around properly.

Now, I could have also taken the cheap route and maybe thought of asking Duvac about his 'Requip', but (believe it or not) just having the scabbard had lots of advantages. I was actually clueless myself about this, but thankfully I got reminded about the following things by my guiding moonlight.

First off, I already use two types of magic in my arsenal, those being 'Shifter Magic' (a.k.a. my boots, which still exist as I dubbed my magic after waking up) and 'Aurora Arcade Magic' (thanks to Luna). Having two magic arts is already tiring enough for me, given that this also meant that I'd never fully exceed in any of the two arts without proper training. So I'd just give myself a disadvantage when getting a third type of magic…

Also, I am required to have Luna close to me when she mentally talks to me. If she were to get stored away in the pocket dimension of 'Requip' I'd lose the possibility of communication with her!

Lastly, Duvac pretty much uses his magic in a similar fashion like Bisca Connell, or otherwise known as 'Requip: The Gunner' but unlike her he only had that one rifle in store (from what I have seen so far). Asking him for advice about this type of magic would NOT be beneficial at all, seeing as I use a sword and he uses a gun. This would be like me asking for money and receiving it as a different currency.

All of her points just convinced me even more that having this piece of equipment was worth it. Actually, I just wanted it because it looked cool to me with its black leather and silver accents! Wallace used my boots' design as an inspiration, so yeah…don't judge me.

* * *

"Jessica? Jessica!"

"Huh!? W-What?"

"Welcome back, you were daydreaming the entire time again."

Duvac has finally dragged me back to the current time where we talked to the tavern. He had a scolding look on his face, but it quickly disappeared when we saw a speck of red in the distance.

"Seems like we finally found her. Let's get her and then meet that friend of yours."

"SIETTA~!"

"What the!? Don't scream around this place like that, blondie!"

Matsuri was the first of us to walk forward…hobble forward in a speed that shouldn't be possible with a bandaged leg and crutches. Yet…she somehow did it. 'Anime-logic?' _'Anime-logic.'_

The chief was readying herself to scream at the happy blonde for her recklessness, but that frown turned upside-down when she saw the brand-new piece of gear on me. "Hmm…you have to hand it to Wallace, the guy makes some damn-fine stuff for such a short time span."

I couldn't help but smile when she said that, feeling a little bit glad that she liked it as much as the others did. When I showed up with that thing when meeting the others, Matsuri pretty much turned into a fangirl while Fujimaru held her back. Duvac didn't say much like always, yet he acknowledged it with a small nod from himself after saying that it fits my character.

"True. Also Sietta, next time warn me when I walk in there to get some free-time!"

"So he took all of your measurements as well? Heh, he did the same thing with me, but stopped when I hit him square in the jaw as he started calling me 'Miss' and all of that. Since then it was only 'chief' or my first name."

What's up with that obsession of hers with that!? Sure, Yorc told me her semi-sad backstory once already, but that seems just…so unhealthy!

"Could we skip this chit-chat for now? We wanted your attention for a reason." 'Duvac…'

"Well, aren't you grumpy!? Alright, what do you desperately need me for?" That scowl on the tactician's face could have frozen hell over. And if anyone was asking, those glasses did start to reflect the sunlight like they do in every anime. Honestly, it was as creepy as everyone says!

" **You…** " He looked pretty close to snapping at her, but when Matsuri threw him a knowing look he calmed down as he spoke in a more forced voice. "A friend of Jessica wanted to meet up with her as she also requested your presence. Hence why we're here at the moment."

* * *

Sietta started to mentally think about her decision. Of course she would be glad to not only meet an acquaintance of the small girl, she would also have an excuse to ditch her paperwork! But then there'd also be the fact that Duvac was there as well.

Honestly, she couldn't stand that guy since the first minute. His strict nature was nothing new to the chief, yet she disliked his untrusting opinion in general. When they walked back, he always criticized her own man for doing things that she ordered them to do. It got on her nerves, even if she inwardly knew that the ex-advisor of 'Full Blood' just did his job.

Still, she was used to take the reins of any operation when her troops' safety was at stake. But his constant ranting and critical view of life frustrated her to no end.

"Uhm, Sietta? Are you alright?"

"Hmm?" 'Oh right, I completely forgot about her.' Jessica was currently staring at her, concern filling her eyes. 'Seriously, that kid is too innocent for this world…'

When she first introduced herself to the red-head and her partner, she gave the expression of a child and not of a mage who'd be able to fight on their side. Actually, both Sietta and Yorc wanted to throw Jessica off her reckless path by showing her what a real fight would look like.

They didn't meant any harm with it. The opposite was the case, both her and the adult wanted to keep her away from any major threat, yet she still proved them wrong by besting Yorc's trial by a landslide.

Since then the kid has grown a bit to her. At first she was at denial with the whole situation, but after a while she couldn't help but look out for her. As if they were siblings…even similar to the blondes.

Well, only that the raven-haired teen was pretty much oblivious to the whole thing. They had actually chatted for a bit on their way to 'Colossus Mountain' and during their few minutes of peaceful silence, she'd always try to talk about her combat experiences, secretly sharing pieces of advice to Jessica about fighting. Luna quickly figured out her own intentions, even giving her support and guaranteed to keep Sietta's view on her to herself.

'That's unfair…how am I even supposed to say no to her when she's looking out for everyone!?' _'Not too forget your own opinion about her and Jessica's young age…'_ A tick mark appeared on the chief's forehead at that exclamation.

'Don't become a hypocrite, you also view her different than you're supposed to!' _'…Touché, but I never denied that.'_

'You're in the same spot as I am! You haven't even told her that you use the term 'child' not just because of her age!'

'… _I-I…Uhm…'_

"Sietta? You're…getting angry…for some reason." _'Oh sweet child, thank you for your timing!'_

Whatever was visible on the chief's face must have created even more worry on Jessica's expression, even smuggling in a hint of fear. 'Dang it…you're not out of this one, Luna.'

"Nah, its fine…just thought a bit about the last days. Sure, I'll come with you. Might as well use my time to get a break."

"But wait, don't you have to fill in the report for this battle?" 'Grr…stupid glass-wearing smartass.'

"That's exactly why I want to take a break now! O-Otherwise I'd be stuck in that stupid office until midnight."

"Okay! Let's go~!"

Our group of 5 was walking ahead with the twins at the front, me behind them Sietta keeping up to my right. Duvac was a bit behind us, yet he made no attempt to walk further. People all around us shared curious glances whilst most of them even ran up to us, thanking us for our actions or asking about the 3 new comrades.

Getting crowded like that made me feel a bit cornered…which the chief must have seen since her expression turned from neutral to something more…annoying.

"Hey! Make some space for us!" I couldn't completely see through the crowd of people but when they finally parted I could not only spot Sietta who had pushed a few of the villagers away holding her hands to the side as she pushed them away; Duvac had also adapted a glare of his own which caused everyone to back up.

"Sorry everyone, we'd just like to meet somebody who's waiting for us."

"Yeah~! I'd **love** to talk with you all but could we do that tomorrow~?"

' _Hmm…I think that my guess was actually correct.'_ Even the twins who walked in front of us had stopped to create a small pathway. They had smiles on their faces, looking more amused than annoyed by the whole situation…though there was a hint of worry there.

'What do you mean?'

' _You managed to weave yourself into their hearts…and as corny as it sounds, you've grown to me as well.'_

"Come on Jessica! Let's keep moving!" My vision shifted to the front where…all 4 of them stood, Duvac and Sietta silently arguing while Matsuri was happily waving at me as Fujimaru just smiled beside her. While I caught up to them I couldn't help but snicker to myself.

'Who would've guessed that I made so many friends already?'

' _A lot of people out there…and we'll have to work on that attention deficit of yours.'_

'It's not that bad…is it?'

' _Hehe…'_

'WHAT'S SO FUNNY!?'

* * *

"Mayor Lindheim…I can understand that they're the controlling side in this argument, yet couldn't you at least try to argue with them!?"

The secretary of Loeyur's town hall and close assistant of Lindheim was looking outraged. Not only did their heroes just arrive this very day but they also received a letter by someone who they'd happily ignore: None other than the Magic Council. None of them knew how they heard about their situation so fast…but their plans were something that they couldn't agree on.

"To have such nerves…writing us about the arrest of all members from 'Full Blood' would be understandable… **but without any exceptions!?** "

Her reason for being so frustrated was the content of this paper, which stated that they'd sent a huge unit of their own men to 'Colossus Mountain' for detaining all enemies. But what actually infuriated them was the fact that they planned on capturing all people that also teamed up with Loeyur's forces before the battle occurred…including the ones that incited them.

That meant that they'd also plan to put Jessica in a jail cell.

This course of action would defiantly result in a riot of monumental size. Villagers would question their actions, the village-watchers will offer resistance and others like Sietta and Yorc…Lindheim didn't even want to think about the possible outcomes.

"As much we all detest the council's strictness in general, we're basically left at their mercy. They clearly stated that disbanding all Dark Guilds was their policy…with no space to negotiate. If we were to defend them right now, verbally or physically, the council could try to detain us all for helping them."

The mayor of their home stood up, frustration hidden in a semi-serious expression pointed at the window of his office. The sun was currently setting down, streaks of orange filling the air as the calm air around them would soon dissipate.

The Rune Knights would arrive in approximately 18 hours after the letter would have been received (according to them at least), so he still had time to set things right. Even if it meant…

"I…might have a solution to this dilemma. Miss, if you would?"

"Uhm, certainly!"

His secretary fumbled a bit through the drawers of Lindheim's desk, fishing out a piece of paper and a quill with ink. She gazed at the still distraught mayor, signalizing him to start.

"In the name of Loeyur's citizens, I, Mayor Lindheim von Gruell…"

"…Continue."

Only silence was her answer.

"…Sir?"

"…demand that the 4 resident mages who were involved in the battle against 'Full Blood'…leave our village before the next sunrise and don't return back for…an unmeasured amount of time, otherwise they'll be charged to their fullest extent by the law."

"…A-Are…you sure t-that-!?"

"Do you question my authority as your mayor?"

"N-NO SIR, I-IT'S JUST…so…"

"Inhumane to do to such nice souls, I know…" His gaze shifted a bit to the left where the old inn was stationed at. He'd probably have to tell the inn's owner of his decision…even then there'd be no agreement for his actions. Nowhere…

* * *

"Hmm…a nice building. It doesn't beat the guild hall but it's surely nice in its own right."

The mage sent by 'Fairy Tail' had decided to follow the friend bartender's advice. Actually (if he remembered correctly) he was supposed to meet up with the mayor of Loeyur regardless. But what caused him to really move out there was the polite request of his current inn's owner.

The visitor actually wanted to take a nice, long sleep in his bed. Though (after beating himself up over it) he personally decided to just get it over with so that he could move on with his journey.

As he walked into the well-polished room at the front, the mage spotted no one at the reception when stepping into the lobby. Looking around for a solid minute he just shrugged afterwards and decided to explore the building for himself.

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Sometime during his small walk, he heard a bit of commotion from the door to his far left. Deciding to ask whoever was in there for directions he silently moved ahead.

"…You're aware of the possible…consequences of such an act, right?"

'Voices?'

"…Even if all of Earth Land was to hate me…if it means that these 4 will escape this cruel form of justice…"

'What are they…?' His curiosity instantly spiked as he heard the discussion from the other side. Deciding to get answers for himself, the S-Class member of 'Fairy Tail' silently walked to the door that was labeled with 'Mayor Lindheim von Gruell' and raised his hand to its knob in the process.

"…Then so be it."

The doorknob twists from his movement, any chance of turning back fleeting when he opens the door to (presumably) the mayor's office…without him knowing what dramatic situation he just stumbled into…

…

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): And so the plot thickens…and no, I haven't completely deleted all errors inside of my story yet (which includes presumably 5-10% of the entire story. You'll sadly have to deal with them until I either find time to actually correct them or somebody goes haywire and makes me a list of them (or otherwise known as a beta-reader, but I won't pressure a person through so much stuff simply because I demand them to. If you want to do it voluntarily, feel free to do so, but otherwise I won't force them to do it)._

 _Also ladies and gentlemen, we finally did it. It's been quite a while already, but now we actually reached 100k for 'Daylight's End'! I just quickly want to express my gratitude towards everyone that decided to stick with this until today! It's understandable that my updates are rarely uploaded, yet it's nice to see that some of you out there still comment me positively for it._

 _Lastly, if you've been wondering what the actual **** I've been doing all this time, I actually started another project! The story I began with over a week ago has been for 'Assassination Classroom' and is labeled_ **'** **Survival 101 with Korosensei'**! _As with 'Daylight's End' there'll be no pressure from my side_ _or other persuasion to read it. Your experience, your decisions._

 _Well, I'm going to place my ass back into my chair and write the next Chapters for both stories! Until next…whatever day the next update gets posted._

 _The Sir's out!_


	22. Weave me your Story

Trecht: "Alright you geezer. I know that you're the mayor and all, but don't you think that the last Chapter was a bit overkill, even for you?"

Lindheim: "As stated before, this was my decision and even if everyone hates me for that I'll proudly stand to it."

Trecht: *Sighs* "Look, old man, you know that I can't hate you, right?"

Lindheim: *Hums* "…True, we knew each other too long for the opposite to occur."

Trecht: "There, but the others won't like this thing one bit. Sietta will surely have a field day if she hears wind of it. Just like these ex-cooks will."

'G': "Even then, he already made up his mind, brewer." *Walks up behind them* "I can see a person's resolve by their actions…and he was certainly ready for more than the others think."

Trecht: "Really? Just 'Brewer'?" *Looks around him* "Also, where's that weird loon? You know…the guy who's basically afraid of sunlight due to his cloak?"

'G': *Shakes head* "He's learning for something important, but we'll get that out of the way for now." *Turns to the audience* "Today, since there's nothing new from our 'Review's corner' we'll just jump directly to the disclaimer."

Trecht: *Nudges Lindheim* "Geezer, you're up for some redemption?"

Lindheim: *Deadpans* "I know that what I demanded seemed unjustified and-…" *Desperately sighs* "Fine if the youth of tomorrow will grant me peace after this…"

'G': "No guarantees."

Lindheim: "…Alright, it only seems fair (I guess)." *Turns to the audience and speaks up* "All of you youngsters out there, this is just a reminder about the rights for 'Daylight's End' and its OCs. They all belong to…"

'G': "MrFiretank."

Lindheim: "Right, him. Anything else has its actual rights reserved by their own owners."

Trecht: *Grins* "See, that wasn't so bad. Now let's treat you to a bit of free ale!"

Lindheim: *Smirks* "Let's be honest. Even I know that you always ditch the bill."

'G': *Stares* "And don't even try to deny it. We witnessed it multiple times…"

Trecht: *Becomes flustered* "W-Well…I-It's not e-easy to m-make ends m-meet. R-Right?"

'G': "Uhuh…"

Lindheim: "Let's just get this on with. Have fun reading everyone."

 _*From a distance* Roll the next Chapter!_

Trecht: *Looks around* "Did you hear something?"

'G': *Coughs awkwardly* "No…nothing at all."

 **...**

 **CHAPTER 22 – WEAVE ME YOUR STORY…**

* * *

"Alright, everyone, we're here."

"That building looks like it's been here for a while. Surely the owner has his fair share of years…" Duvac was already looking intrigued at the building before us.

"Yeah, Lindheim once mentioned that the 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' existed since the village was founded. Nobody knows exactly when though; everyone kind of forgot about the exact date. But it's not the original owner anymore; his own son inherited the tavern."

"We're finally meeting Jess' friend~!"

"Well, then we shouldn't let your acquaintance wait."

The same clean wood walls and the all too familiar sign greeted me when our group finally arrived at the place where I had my first encounter. Alcohol could be smelled from the air around the tavern while the few rays of sunshine gave us light. However, there was one part of the wall where boards of wood covered a destroyed part of it. 'Guess someone went overboard whilst partying…'

Sietta was the one to walk in first; being nice enough to hold the door open for us. Maybe it was my imagination but I might have spotted her hand twitching just as Duvac walked in. 'Wow, they do kind of hate each other.' _'Not just 'kind of', child…'_ Luna mentally deadpanning made me chuckle out of embarrassment, but I otherwise stayed quiet.

The red-head politely closed the door behind her when we walked in, following directly suit to us.

"Now squirt, where's that friend of yours?"

"Another question would be more appropriate." There goes another tick mark on Sietta's forehead.

"And what would that be, pray tell?"

"Where is everyone else?"

It wasn't until the tactician's exclamation that we noticed the place's…emptiness. There weren't any other customers here, stools and tables seemed untouched by now. There was only a single other person visible right now, none other than the owner himself.

Because none of us tried to do the first move (and due to the bartender not noticing us whilst polishing another glass) Matsuri happily skipped towards the bar, Fujimaru following suit.

"Hello~! Is this tavern yours?"

"Hmm?" Confusion settled itself on his face, looking at the new customer before him. Though, this was replaced with a genuine smile when he spotted me and Sietta a few feet behind.

"Oh! It surely is! Also, welcome back Sietta and…uhm…"

' _Child, have you ever told this person your full name…or anyone else to be exact?'_

'Uhm…whoops?' I seriously couldn't believe this! It had been over 10 days and yet I never shared my full name with someone!? Just how careless was I!? Luna's mental image didn't turn into a frown like I expected it to; instead just mentioning with her head at the bartender himself…who still hadn't gotten an answer.

"Sorry mister! I-I never really revealed my name to you, did I? Well, my name's-"

"JESSIE~!" Fast ringing footsteps rang behind me while I pretty much mumbled to myself, making me turn around and spotting a woman-shaped torpedo fly at me.

 ***CRASH***

Her assault ended with me getting brutally glomped by none other than the guardian angel herself.

"OWW! HANA, LET…GO OF ME!" Wiggling in her grasp did nothing; yet letting her have her way was not an option! I was still injured for crying out loud!

"Not a chance~! It's been forever since we saw each other and I missed you so much!"

"IT'S ONLY BEEN 10 DAYS-"

A loud cough brought made me finally aware of the other people who still stood there, either giving us weird looks or an understanding smile (from the happy blonde mage of course). Sietta calmly walked to my side, heaving the both of us up and keeping the grasp on Hana's shoulder after doing so.

Speaking of Hana, her usual attire up from heaven had been ditched for…a simple white t-shirt, jeans and sandals. 'She really didn't have anything more formal?'

Even if it was unimportant for the others, her arms had moved slightly…signalizing that she heard my comment and was…mentally pouting? 'Mind-reading…right…sorry Hana.' Both arms lowered after that. _'Wait…actual-'_ 'I'll explain it later…hopefully.'

"So, Hana. You're the friend of Jessica that Duvac told me about?"

"Defiantly! Though, out story goes…a bit longer than one would usually expect." Nobody seemed to have noticed her change of words. Only I and 'Full Blood's' ex-tactician spotted the mid-change. I did because the strawberry-blonde told me already that she worked for all of my families' generations…

…And Duvac did spot it because he might have been that good in reading other people.

"Would you care to elaborate on that, Hana?"

"Yeah, yeah! I'll get to that later, though let us first sit down somewhere. I didn't just reserve every seat of this place for no reason~!"

" **YOU RESERVED THE ENTIRE BAR!?"** All of our jaws hit the floor, too stunned to even form a proper response. Even the advisor's mouth was left slightly ajar when he registered that ridiculous statement. Sietta though had a harder time to believe her.

"I know the bartender myself and am aware of how many people come and go to his place. The guy has to earn most of his income from visitors and such, meaning he can't just close his tavern like that!" As is Sietta wasn't already distrustful, her pointing a finger just topped it all off.

"To reserve a party for like 5 people or so you'd already have to pay a small fortune! How much money do you HAVE!?"

A lazy shrug was the only answer we received from our screams as she spoke: "I'm obligated to keep financial numbers and all the other crap a secret. Just let me say that our boss pays me well enough~!"

* * *

Meanwhile in heaven, 'G' was staring at the pre-opened tin box which was previously hidden inside of his office desk. There had to be a cruel joke somewhere since he had planned to use the original contents for his own sweet tooth.

But of course he didn't calculate the possibility of Hana knowing its position. Just as the chairman was about to get the stacked bundle of money out…he only got greeted with the sight of a messily written note.

* * *

 _Took the cash to have a nice meet with Jessica and her lads! Don't worry; you'll be thanking me for your teeth not decaying away~._

 _-Hana_

 _(P.S. I'm taking the day free as well, so don't expect me today~.)_

* * *

Sometimes he wondered to himself why he even considered the chaotic guardian angel his friend. The poor entity had already expected a fly to zoom past him by now. For any means, he just kept staring while thinking about a logical response to his gaffe.

'…It's official. She's the most mischievous entity who ever existed.'

Lucifer could give her a run for her money, but over time even he'd agree on that one.

* * *

"Fine Hana, but no alcohol for me. I can't handle most of the regular stuff." And with most of the regular stuff I meant a small sip of mostly anything. You guys want to hear the backstory of it?

…What am I saying, of course you don't want to but I'll tell it regardless.

We partied together with some neighbors last year and that's when mom had presumably the second-worst idea of our lives...which included giving someone who was a virgin to alcohol her glass of red wine. I was out like a light after 5 minutes-

"BWAHAHAHA! I remember all of it! Your mother even commented that she gave you the glass intentionally to make sure that you'd never touch a drop again!"

"C'MON! DID YOU **HAVE** TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD!?"

Snorts came from both the Bartender as well as Matsuri, only that the former politely tried to cover his mouth…Matsuri though just openly giggled. Then, Hana adopted a kind of mischievous- 'Oh oh.'

"I agree with you Matsuri~! She really IS so cute when flustered!"

…

' _I…don't think that was a logical approach.'_ 'DANG YOU, HANA!'

"C'mon Matsuri, Jessie~! You have to admit that it was awesome, right?"

"…I-I didn't say m-my name…or a-anything e-else right there…Jess a-as well..."

' **YOU'RE FREAKING THEM OUT!'**

It didn't even take a second glance from Fujimaru at his sister's shocked expression to change into 'Overprotective Brother'-mode, summoning 'Raijin' with a quick flick of his hand, the known neon-yellow circle of magic lighting the air for a second.

Even Duvac and Sietta got alarmed at the latest events, grabbing a hold of trident and gun as fast as possible and shifting into battle stances. All 3 of them leveled intensive glares at the guardian angel who (in an unappropriated manner) raised both of her hands whilst exclaiming:

"What did I do wrong!? Jeez, can't you all take a joke!?"

"Whatever…that just was isn't a joke anymore. We basically know nothing about you and I'll not disregard the fact that you just invaded our personal privacy." Duvac was probably thinking like crazy in his attempt to find an explanation. You could even see the veins pressing together on his forehead.

"Friend of Jessica or not, he's right. That stunt you just pu-"

"I read their minds."

"-lled isn't playing…in…your... **WHAT!?** " The strawberry-blonde lost most of her usual playfulness, even keeping her posture perfectly straight. As the chief was still perplexed, Duvac started his own little interrogation.

"Are you using magic?"

"No." Duvac's glare intensified tenfold just then.

"What then? Something else?"

"Not 'something'. Like I said, I just read their minds."

"Elaborate." Her eyes started to shift into a deadpan, stopping just before it was visible.

"She thinks of something, I hear it. It's as simple as that."

"How long?"

"Pardon?" Frustration grew on the tactician's face, irritation coming from the unwanted and confusing information of hers.

"How long have you been reading our minds?"

"Oh, you're misunderstanding something. I didn't read yours, her twin's or the redhead's mind. Seriously, do you think that I have no sense of privacy inside of me?"

His glare somewhat lessened, yet he was still looking like he wanted to stare through her. Silence took over once more, tension not taking off for a moment and movement was pretty much nonexistent from all of us. Even Duvac's finger was perfectly still on his rifle's trigger, not even shaking whilst it was close to being pulled.

However, Sietta and Fujimaru looked slightly convinced…enough to lower their weapons slightly.

"…I'll trust your word, for now." The blond mage hadn't actually planned on attacking at all, yet being cautious was a requirement for his old position. Something that he learned from the tactician himself. With that as a reminder he let his weapon vanish back into the magical space that just sufficed for his sword.

"You're still fishy to me, not gonna lie there…" The glare on Sietta's façade hasn't disappeared yet, though kept it close to a natural level. With the halberd's tip still raised, she took a tentative step back, abandoning her current position.

"What bothers me, even more, is that you aren't a ghost-like…'woman' like Luna. Her being a whole different being covers some explanations. Yours doesn't." Her bossy-like nature slowly died down with every taken step, until her weapon was completely lowered.

"…If what the squirt said was true, you'll not try to harm us. But as a hint of advice, keep your freaky power to yourself. Most of Loeyur's population prefers it that way."

"I appreciate it! Really, I do! Though…could you tell your friend to relax there?" Now it was only Duvac who held the weapon still perfectly upright. I couldn't read anything about his emotions or intentions as if he was suppressing any signs of his body language that could hint towards them.

"C'mon Duvac! She didn't hurt me or anything, right everyone?" Matsuri (who had finally recovered from her previous shock) had put up the trademark smile of hers and was trying to push down Duvac's arm which still held the magic gun.

"The girl's right. In fact, she waited for almost an hour for your appearance, ordering a few drinks whilst sitting at the bar." Even the bartender (who witnessed the whole ordeal) was still looking calm at us, cleaning another mug during the comment.

"…"

"It's alright Duvac, she doesn't even have a weapon on her. I can't even sense any trace of magic from her direction." True to Fujimaru's word, Hana turned around with her hands still in the air and allowed anyone to see if there were unusual bumps or spots on her clothing.

"…But-"

"Glasses! I'll admit that this is still making me nervous, but we can settle this another day so stop with your whole ordeal!" Who would've thought, Sietta also tried to convince him to calm down. Unlike Fujimaru or Matsuri, she stood before his gun, daring him to pull the trigger.

It STILL wasn't convincing the stoic mage, yet there was a slight shake in his unarmed hand that hung on his side. Still being on edge, Duvac was that close to shooting his gun, risking any of us to get hurt from his 'Guns Magic'.

' _Child, maybe a few of your words could change his demeanor.'_

'Wait, why me!?'

' _If anything proved more that he trusts you, his latest actions in that crowd earlier should suffice.'_

'…Alright, but there isn't a guarantee for this to work.' A smile was the reaction I didn't expect from Luna.

' _Don't worry, it won't come down to it.'_

Taking small and nervous steps towards the tactician's front, I held both hands out to my side and prayed that he wouldn't lose his cool right there.

"C'mon D-Duvac! I know Hana personally, s-she won't hurt us!" Me shaking in my boots wasn't helping at all, but this wasn't like a regular situation.

With those goons, Yorc or even the second fight with the twins, I had emotions backing me up. Anger. Euphoria. Calmness. These things were the only reason that I didn't freak out in any of these battles. But this was more similar to the 'Full Blood' encounter.

I wasn't sure if this was just uncertainty or the same fear that came up against Dao. The fact was, I couldn't calculate every move...no one could. Albeit being able to read someone's mindset calmed me always down.

In comparison…Duvac was like a blank sheet. There was no way for me to tell if he'd pull the trigger or not.

"W-What are you **doing** , squirt!? MOVE!" The probably panicked eyes of Sietta were staring at the back of my head, actual back and all still turned.

"T-There's no need for violence! W-We're over the worst t-things…right, Duvac?"

"…"

C'mon…this had to work! Luna said it would!

"…You owe us an explanation later on." And with that final push, he reluctantly obliged, dissatisfaction clearly crossing his features when the rifle inside of his hand vanished. At least this was finally-

 ***SMACK***

"OWWW!"

"HEY, WHY DID YOU HIT JESSIE!?" I didn't see the slap on my skull's back, though I had a guess on who exactly did it.

"As much as I'm grateful for her defusing this stupid charade with us, there's this…" A gloved hand came down on my shoulder, keeping me upright as she continued. "We can all agree on the fact that she's precious to us, isn't that true?"

"Yeah~!"

' _Absolutely.'_

"Defiantly."

"…"

"So, then there'd be no proper reason for her to potentially endanger herself. Squirt went already through enough crap with the entire 'Full Blood'-ordeal, thus were responsible for everything now."

"But wouldn't that be close to babysitting?" Oh…yeah, bartender. He was speaking out my thoughts perfectly right there. But it didn't tune down the small pout emitted from me.

"Could we ALL finally sit down? I booked this place since I wanted to TALK with you guys and not get INTERROGATED; meeting my long-time friend as well!"

Believe it or not, most of us showed some remorse at that...that didn't include me since I just tried to have a calm night. Even Duvac had turned his head slightly as a sign of...something similar to regret.

"Come on! Also, bartender!"

"Yes, young lady!"

"Bring us a round of ale, my treat!"

' _Uhm, miss?'_

"…Hehe, and a glass of soda for my friend. Whoops?"

* * *

*Click*

"Huh?"

"Oh, hello there! Sorry for barging in! Could you maybe give me directions?"

Loeyur's mayor was currently sitting inside of his own grief as the door to his office opened. This confused him since almost everyone working inside of the town hall was supposed to have the day free. Only he and his secretary were working to this late hour. Turning around, he spotted a man who…sported weird equipment on his body as well as a tattered cloak around his form.

"Uhm, certainly sir. But may I ask who you are first? It is rude to walk into the mayor's office unannounced." His secretary quickly recovered, seemingly used to the whole situation. Extending a hand to the newcomer she put on a semi-forced smile to hide her current worry.

"Oh, my bad! My name's Guildarts Clive! I am the S-Class mage that was sent here on the behalf of 'Fairy Tail'…on short notice." He then started to shake the woman's hand, failing to notice the shock on her face and lack of movement from her hand.

Both of the tired people did their absolute best to not flinch at his words. The entire situation wasn't going in their favor, only becoming worse with bad event after bad event.

The mayor decided to let the flow continue and just pretended as if nothing ever happened before he just barged in.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Clive."

"Nah, I feel like Makarov when you call me like that! Just call me Guildarts."

"Certainly will. Also, may I assume that this 'Makarov' is your guild's master?"

"That's right. I guess that you received the letter?"

"We did." At that response, Guildarts somewhat adapted a serious expression without losing the warm smile on his face. His secretary took the liberty of treating their new guest correctly to herself, taking out two glasses from the small cabinet, build and kept in his room for supplying drinks or snacks.

"Good, that means we don't have to go over its whole content and keep this short." Seating himself on the chair that was pulled from the side by Lindheim himself, the S-Class mage relaxed into the carefully crafted pads and sighed when becoming comfortable.

"That may be so, but I'd like to…ah, thank you." The only woman had finally prepared everything as a huge variety of Loeyur's best-produced food and drinks laid on the table. The ware was produced to stay edible for longer periods of time, even under huge temperature changes.

"Just doing my job. Now…Guildarts, I can confirm that we both read the content of 'Fairy Tail's' letter, getting informed of your arrival. Now, is there anything that you'd like us to inform you about?" The secretary had decided to stand beside the mayor's own chair, holding both her hands behind her back like the countless times where politeness was required from her.

Lindheim decided to stay put during their own talk to assess the situation. He had a small but extremely crucial guess about the situation, but he'd have to let his partner confirm it first…although she wasn't aware of all this.

"To be fair, I actually talked about a bit of this with some bartender…ah, I can't remember his name."

"If I may chime if, were you visiting 'Loeyur Mountain Tavern' before walking into our town hall?"

"Ah, yes! That was the name. Nice place, got some good liquor in stock." An honest smile crossed Lindheim's face as he remembered his own first visit there.

"They certainly work around their quality and atmosphere. Quite an excellent establishment if I could say so myself."

"True, now…there was something that I overheard from before."

That caught the mayor's full attention, making his friendly façade turn slightly tenser than before. His secretary has felt the small shift of his mood and decided to jump to the rescue:

"And what exactly was this…thing that you caught wind of?"

"Let's just say that it involves a few people getting thrown out of this wonderful place."

"…!?"

"Hmm…so my guess was right after all." The shell-shocked face of the secretary was the only response both men received before Lindheim continued.

"I worked in this position for quite a while now. I'm aware of the echo that sometimes rings through these halls when someone speaks loud enough. To be fair, I may have exploited that fact for myself a few times now. But nothing too groundbreaking." He stood up from his seat, examining the special guest closer before breaking the ice.

"How much did you hear about our conversation?"

"Not too sure, I decided to just walk in when there was sound on the other side of the door." Pointing towards the now politely closed door, Guildarts just stared at the two innocently.

"If I may rephrase that question… **what** was the first thing you heard of our talk?" There was a slight hint of protective malice in the secretary's tone, something that the mayor heard rarely from her.

"Huh…I think it was something along the lines of 'being aware of the consequences'." The secretary slightly relaxed when hearing this. Lindheim on the other hand just kept his posture and expression the same.

"Well…since you're here already, we can talk about the situation now. There…had been a few changes in the village's situation." Guildarts just took his drink from the finely stocked office desk, taking a huge gulp from whatever was inside of his glass before answering.

"I've talked a lot today…but sure…let's talk."

* * *

"Ahhhh…if they had that kind of ale in my own place, everyone would get drunk of their ass in 1 hour flat!"

It wasn't even 20 minutes in until Hana reached her 4th jug or alcohol…without showing any signs of being drunk of even slightly giddy.

Sietta and Fujimaru had settled into their seats at the table in the back with us, both sharing a comfortable talk with the strawberry-blond who vaguely talked about her own work, changing facts and twisting stories about her numerous experiences about others. Both of her listeners were on their second jug respectively.

Duvac and Matsuri acted on their own different accords. The blonde smiled at all of us, even chiming in from time to time and sharing a few of her opinions. Meanwhile, Duvac just listened as he stayed silent, taking a small sip every few minutes. They still rested on their first drink.

And I have just sat close to Hana (on my own) and Sietta (who instantly sat down beside of me). The bartender must have remembered me enjoying the soda from last time since I received the same one from last time…I think. It's difficult to notice any differences when all non-alcoholic beverages in this universe were next to colorless.

"Well, that was basically a few of my own stories. Not the most exciting ones, but they are high up there."

"I have a question, Hana." Our gazes changed from the guardian angel towards the village-watcher's chief. There was a slight hint of tension in her current posture as if she was hesitating.

"C'mon Sietta~! We're friends!" Matsuri tried to encourage her by putting a hand on her shoulder and speaking in the usual happy tone. The redhead was still nervous, yet decided to talk.

"Fine…I'd like to know what your story is."

"Uhm, sure! It all began in a small village where my wonderful and slightly stupid parents-"

"Not that story. I mean…yours with Jessica, like how you actually met for instance."

Surprise crossed Hana's face, though she instantly replied while laughing slightly. "Ah, that! Sorry, must have gotten carried away. Well, to start off-"

"Actually…I'd like to hear Jessica explain it."

…

"… "

' **WHAT!?'** Of **COURSE** , it was Duvac who needed to pry into that!

"Uhm, if…she's fine with it? But…why do you want to tell us this-"

 ***SLAM***

Without any warning, Duvac slammed his own jug on the table when he stood up and- 'HE'S WALKING TOWARDS ME AND HANA!'

"Although Jessica has helped all people of Loeyur out, got rid of this…disgusting pack of people and freed us 3 from our shackles...To say I'd not be grateful would be the same as stating that magic wouldn't exist." His glasses were now reflecting light from the lamps, covering his eyes as he sternly pointed a finger at the two of us.

"Even considering all of that AND her young appearance, we're basically left in the dark when thinking about her past. Since we're all friends, she should be **fine to talk** about this, no?" Duvac was mercilessly twisting my own mindset, making me feel remorse at his words when he considered us friends-

" **WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM YOU GLASSES-WEARING PLEB!? DO YOU ALWAYS SEARCH FOR TROUBLE OR IS THAT JUST TODAY!?"**

Sietta was visibly fuming when she stepped in front of me, grabbing a hold of Duvac's arm and twisting it out of frustration. The tactician was still arguing with her while I was pondering on his words.

Should I really reveal any details on my past life? About my life…my friends…my…family…!?

Why...haven't I thought about them...even once in this journey?

There wasn't anything stopping me from letting a few tears roll down my face. 'How could I almost forget them? They were the one's whom I cared for the most after all! I'm…horrible.'

"EVERYONE, **ZIP IT**!"

The whole drama died down when Hana intervened herself, abandoning her own mug and using the alcohol to fuel unholy frustration. The deadly glare that followed these words was enough to make all of them freeze. Even the rumbling pair before me had stilled until Sietta and Matsuri spotted me crying.

Both didn't react very subtle to the situation...

"Dang it...Squirt. It's alright…you don't have to talk about it."

"Yeah! We all have our secrets. If you're uncomfortable with this, just tell us another time." They both tried to soothe me; Luna even saying reassuring words inside of my mind.

Still…I was only thinking about everything…there were just so many risks in telling! They would probably think that I was lying, or just making it up! They'll defiantly-

"It's fine."

'Huh?' Hana had moved to my side and put a reassuring hand on my shoulder and just kept it there before continuing.

"You're not horrible. Quite the opposite, you're a pretty amazing girl. And if you want to talk about it, you're free to do so."

Utter shock was crossing my face but Hana wouldn't let me have it.

"I and 'G' talked about this while you were traveling. You're free to tell everyone you'd want to."

So…I didn't have to keep my past a secret.

I…could still remember it freely...and hopefully not forget my own parents once more. You can say what you will...I care for them all.

Standing up, I tried to swallow down my anxiety whilst locking my own gazes with everyone else. The bartender was nowhere to be seen, probably having left after sensing the required privacy. There was still a small trail of tears on my face (even after Matsuri wiped a part of them away). Everyone seemed to feel my tension, thus not even wishing to interrupt me.

Hana gave me a final nod, confirming her words before she slightly nudged me on the back as a signal.

This would probably change everything…

But...I'll accept the consequences.

"I'd like to r-reintroduce myself. My name's Jessica L-Layna, I'm 13 years old and…died once in another world."

…

* * *

 _(To be continued…)_

 _(Fire Me): We're FINALLY close to the two arc's endings. And yes, TWO arcs since I count both the 'Loeyur'-arc and the 'Full Blood'-arc as separate ones. But before the next Chapter get released, I'm honestly working on revisiting the earlier ones._

 _There are a LOT of mistakes in there that are still there up to this day, so I'll probably focus on that first._

 _Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this release and until next time!_

 _The Sir's out!_


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